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STUDIES  IN  CLASSICAL  PHILOLOGY 


THE   BELLUM   CIVILE 
OF   PETRONIUS 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
SALES   AGENTS 

NEW  YORK: 

LEMCKE   &   BUECHNER 

30-32  West  27th  Street 

LONDON: 

HENRY  FROWDE 

Amen  Corner,  E.C. 


THE   BELLUM   CIVILE 
OF  PETRONIUS 


EDITED 

WITH    INTRODUCTION,    COMMENTARY,    AND 
TRANSLATION 

BY 

FLORENCE  THEODORA  BALDWIN,  Ph.D. 


I^^r^l 


THE   COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
1911 

All  rightH  reserved 


COPTKIGHT,    1911, 

By  the  COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS. 
Set  up  and  electrotyped.      Published  January,  igii. 


NorbaooH  ^rcaa 

J.  S.  Cashing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


■'■7 


TO 

MY    SISTER 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

WDUCTION 

1-95 

The  Author     .         .      ' 

1 

The  Book        .      ' 

3 

The  Poem 

6 

The  Author's  Purpose 

7 

Theories  as  to  the  Author's  Purpose  (Petronius 

and  Lucan)           

10 

Examination  of  the  Theories  .... 

11 

The  Parallel  Passages 

13 

The  Prologue 

21 

Imitations  of  Other  Poets        .... 

22 

Conclusion 

24 

Petronius's  Knowledge  of  the  Pharsalia 

.       27 

General  Estimate  of  the  Poem 

.       32 

Petronius's  Epic  Theory         .... 

35 

The  Poem  in  Detail 

Obscurity 

37 

II.  177-208       

.       38 

Caesar's  Speech 

.      39 

Points  of  Style 

40 

Language        

45 

Syntax 

63 

Prosody,  etc 

55 

Z>js,  Fortuna,  and  Discordla 

.       64 

vii 

VIU 


Contents 


Reminiscences  of  the  Belhim  Civile  in  Mediaeval 


Latin 

67 

Editions  and  Translations       .... 

09 

Parallel  Passages  :  Petronius  and  Lucan 

71 

Petronius,   Satihae,  1-4        ..... 

89 

Petronius,  Satifae,  88-9 

92 

Bellum  Civile  {Satibae,  118-24) 

96 

109 

Translation 

231 

The  Mss.  of  Petronius 

246 

Critical  Notes 

248 

Vita 

265 

THE    BELLUM    CIVILE    OF 
PETRONIUS 

INTRODUCTION 

In  discussing  any  part  of  the  work  of  Petronius, 
we  are  hampered  at  the  outset  by  uncertainty 
^,  ,       as  regards  the  identity  of  the  author. 

The  author    „•     o      •         ,  • 

His  bahrae  ^  are  not  mentioned  by  any 
writer  prior  to  the  second  century  a.d.,^  and  even 
then,  although  repeatedly  cited  by  grammarians, 
as  Petronius,  Petronius  Arbiter,  or  Arbiter  alone,^ 

1  For  the  title,  see  p.  3,  n.  2. 

2  The  first  reference  known  is  that  of  Terentianus  Maurus, 
De  Metris,  1.  2489,  Arbiter  disertus,  and  2852,  Petronius.  For 
further  references,  see  Buecheler's  editions  (Berlin,  Ed.  Maior, 
1862,  Ed.  Minor,  1892,  1886,  1895),  Collignon,  Petrone  en 
France  (Paris,  1905),  Introd.,  and  Burmann,  Ed.  (Utrecht, 
1709,  1743),  Part  II,  pp.  254,  257,  271. 

'  E.g.  Serv.  ad  Verg.  Aen.,  Ill,  57  ;     Fulgent.  Mytholog.,  Ill, 
8,  p.  124  (in  Mythographi  Latini,  Amsterdam,  1681),  and  the 
references  in  (2)  above.     In  ScaliKor's  Ms.  (see  p.  246)  he  is 
called  C.  Petronius  Arbiter  Afranius. 
3  1 


2     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

he  is  never  spoken  of  as  a  contemporary  or  as- 
signed to  any  period.  As  a  result  of  this  uncer- 
tainty, many  theories  have  been  advanced  and 
vigorously  contested,  placing  him  anywhere  from 
the  reign  of  Augustus  ^  to  the  fourth  century  a.d.- 
The  internal  evidence,  however,  and  especially  the 
two  epic  fragments,  the  Troiae  Halosis  ^  and  the 
Bellum  Civile,  point  decidedly  to  the  reign  of 
Nero.^  Beyond  this  there  is  a  considerable 
amount  of  evidence,  not  conclusive  indeed,  but 
collectively  of  no  little  weight,  which  leads  us  to 
identify  him  with  the  Gains  Petronius  of  Nero's 
court,^  the  elegantiae  arbiter  of  whom  Tacitus  has 
left  us  so  striking  a  portrait.®  This  evidence  is  : 
first  the  name  or  designation  Arbiter;  second, 
the  indications  in  the  fragments  that  their  author 
was  not  only  familiar  with  the  writings  of  mem- 
bers of  the  imperial  court,  but  took  a  lively  and 

*  C.  Beck,  The  Age  of  Petronius  Arbiter  (Cambridge,  Mass., 
1856).     He  admits  that  the  work  may  date  as  late  as  34  a.d. 

"  Statilius,  Apologia. 
3  See  p.  5. 

*  This  view  is  held  by  Teuffel,  Buecheler,  Ritter,  Fried- 
lander,  Boissier,  Studer,  Merivale,  Mackail,  Heitland,  Momm- 
sen,  and  others.  All  but  the  first  four  of  those  mentioned 
accept  him  also  as  the  Petronius  of  Tacitus. 

*  Called  Titus  Petronius  by  Pliny,  H.  N.,  XXXVII,  7,  3, 
and  Plutarch,  Quomodo  Adulator  ab  amico  inter noscatur,  19 
(60  E.).  ' 

,     6  Ann.,  XVI,  18  S.  \ 
\  I 


Introduction  3 

controversial  interest  in  them  ;  third,  the  striking 
resemblance  between  the  genius  of  the  work  and 
the  character  of  the  brilliant  and  cynical  courtier 
who  could  flay  his  master's  vices  with  his  satire 
when  the  hand  of  death  was  already  on  him ; 
fourth,  the  absence  of  any  record  of  another 
Petronius  of  literary  pretensions  or  qualifica- 
tions. ^  In  the  following  discussion  of  the  re- 
lation of  the  Bellum  Civile  to  the  Pharsalia  of 
Lucan,  therefore,  this  identity  has  been  as- 
sumed, but  all  conclusions  as  to  the  purpose  of 
the  poem  have  been  based  upon  internal  evi- 
dence alone. 

The  Satirae  -  of  Petronius  Arbiter,  now  lost 
except  for  fragments  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
„,    ,     ,        books,  partakes  of  the  character  of  a 

The  book         -,  t      •  ... 

Memppean  satire  m  its  mixture  of  prose 

'  For  a  list  of  the  other  known  Petronii,  see  Burmann, 
Part  II,  p.  278. 

-  In  the  Tragurian  Ms.  the  title  is  :  Petronii  Arbitri  Satyri 
Fragmenta  ex  libro  XV  et  XVI  ;  in  Sc,  C.  Petronii  Arbitri 
Afranii  Satyrici  Liber;  in  B,  VI,  Br.,  F2,  Mess.,  Petronii 
Arbitri  Satyricon  (Br.  Satiricon) ;  in  V2,  Petronii  Arbitri  Satyri- 
con  Liber.  The  other  Mss.  give  the  author's  name  only.  The 
older  editors  generally  accepted  the  title  Satyricon  (genitive 
plural),, but  Buechcler  adopted  the  Latin  Saturae.  The  more 
high-sounding  Greek  title  would  naturally  belong  to  a  later 
date  than  the  rest  of  the  work  (see  Casaubon,  De  Satyrica 
Poesi,  Paris,  1605,  II,  p.  326). 


4     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

and  verse,  but  with  important  differences.  In 
the  Apocolocijntosis  of  Seneca,  the  only  complete 
specimen  of  this  kind  of  work  extant,  the  min- 
gling of  prose  and  verse  is  much  like  that  in  the 
text  of  an  old-fashioned  opera.  The  prose  tells 
the  story  and  furnishes  the  themes,  the  verse 
embroiders  them  and  marks  the  climaxes.  As  in 
the  opera  it  furnished  the  material  for  the  florid 
passages,  so  in  the  satire  it  supplied  the  author 
with  the  vehicle  for  his  wildest  burlesque.  In 
these  Satirae,  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  the 
passages  in  verse  are  quotations  from  other  au- 
thors,^ others  are  poems  and  epigrams  introduced 
as  the  compositions  of  some  of  the  characters.^ 
Eumolpus,  especially,^  is  continually  breaking  into 
verse,  extemporaneous  or  premeditated.^  And  of 
the  remaining  fragments,  which  now  appear  scat- 
tered through  the  work  without  anything  to  con- 
nect them  with  the  prose,  it  is  probable  that  many 
were  originally  an  organic  part  of  the  whole.^  In 
content  the  book  is  a  romance,  composed  by  a 
master  hand,  of  low  life  and  strange  adventure 


155,  6;    68,  4;    112,  2. 

25;   23,  3  ;   34,  10  ;   133,  3  ;    134,  12. 

5  See  p.  7  f . 

4  89  ;  93,  2;    109,  9;    119-124. 

«  E.g.  83,  10  ;    139,  2. 


Introduction  5 

in  southern  Italy.  Mingled  with  its  fantastic 
episodes  are  more  serious  passages,  in  which  the 
author  makes  his  personages  the  mouthpiece  of 
Ms  own  views.  Such  especially  are  chapters  1-4 
on  the  rhetorical  training  of  the  day^  88  on  the 
decay  of  arts  and  sciences/  and  118  on  poetry. 
All  of  these  end  with  verses.  The  last  two  are 
assigned  to  the  poet  Eumolpus,  and  the  poems 
which  they  introduce  are  the  longest  in  the  book  : 
the  Troiae  Halosis  -  of  65  iambric  senarii,  and  the 
Bellum  Civile  ^  of  295  hexameters.  It  may  be 
noted  in  pasring  that  Eumolpus  recites  the  Trojan 
piece  merely  a  propos  of  a  picture  at  which  his 
companion  is  gazing  intently,  but  offers  the  other 
as  a  practical  illustration  of  his  theory  of  epic 
poetry. 

As  the  entire  work,  or  rather  all  that  remains 


»  See  p.  92. 

'  Teuffel-Schwabe,  History  of  Roman  Literature  (tr.  by  G. 
C.  W.  Warr.  London,  1891-1892),  305,  4,  thinks  that  it  alludes 
to  a  poem  of  Nero's  on  the  same  subject.  E.  Thomas,  L'En- 
vers  de  la  societe  Romaine  (Paris,  1902),  p.  93,  describes  it  as  a 
parody  on  a  juvenile  Iliacon  of  Lucan.  Its  obvious  relation  is 
to  the  Second  Book  of   the  Aeneid,  which  it  constantlj'  recalls. 

'  Or  Carmen  de  Bello  Civili.  The  Dresden  Ms.  (see  p.  247) 
calls  it  Satira  Petroni  poete  satyrici  contra  vicia  Romanorum. 
It  has  also  been  called  Carmen  de  luxu  Romanorum,  Satira  de 
pessimis  Romae  moribus,  Satira  in  qua  vitia  Romanorum 
reprehenduntur,  De  mutatione  rei  publicae  Romanae. 


6      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

to  us,  has  been  a  fruitful  source  of  differences  of 
opinion,  so  this  fragment,  deahng  with  the  struggle 
^^  between  Caesar  and  the  Roman  Sen- 

1  he  poem 

ate,  the  most  ambitious  poetic  effort 
contained  in  it,  has  become  a  sort  of  secondary 
storm-center.  The  questions  which  have  been 
asked  about  it,  and  variously  answered,  may  be 
summarized  as  follows  :  Was  it  intended  to  give 
a  complete  picture  in  little  of  the  war,  or  an 
outline  to  be  filled  in,  or  an  introduction  to  be 
continued  ?  What  was  the  author's  object  in  writ- 
ing it?  Did  he  intend  it  to  be  taken  seriously? 
The  first  question,  while  the  least  important  of 
the  three,  is  also  the  most  difficult  to  answer  with 
any  degree  of  certainty.  The  concluding  line  of 
the  poem  : 

factum  est  in  terris  quicquid  Discordia  iussit 

might  serve  equally  well  to  introduce  a  continua- 
tion of  it.  The  fragment  might  also,  though  with 
less  probability,  be  an  outline,  fairly  complete 
through  244,  but  from  there  on  to  be  expanded 
should  the  poet  decide  on  an  exhaustive  treat- 
ment of  the  subject ;  as  exhaustive,  that  is,  as 
his  theory  would  allow.  Or,  finally,  it  might  be 
already  complete,^  describing  the  opening  scenes 

'  Complete,  that  is,  in  scope,  not  finish. 


Introduction  7 

of  the  struggle  and  foreshadowing  the  rest.  Per- 
haps Petronius  never  took  the  trouble  to  make 
up  his  mind  on  this  point,  but,  if  any,  the  last- 
named  choice  seems  the  most  likely.  The 
words  of  the  introduction  :  tamquam  si  placet  hie 
impetus,  etiamsi  nondum  recepit'ultimam  majium, 
indicate  that  it  is  merely  intended  for  a  spirited 
attack  on  the  subject  which,  though  forever  im- 
perfect, would  show  what  the  author  meant  and 
what  he  might  have  done.  Nor  should  it  be  for- 
gotten that,  whatever  Eumolpus,  as  a  character 
in  the  story,  may  be  supposed  to  contemplate,  it 
is  not  likely  that  Petronius,  the  satirist,  would 
ever  have  thought  seriously  of  attempting  to  ex- 
pand his  verses  into  a  full-fledged  epic,  indepen- 
dent of  his  romance/  He  had  made  his  point, 
and  that  would  be  sufficient. 

The  second  question  is  complicated  at  the 
outset  by  the  manner  in  which  both  the  Bellum 
The  au-  Civile  and  the  Troiae  Halosis  are  intro- 
thor's  pur-  duced.  Eumolpus,  into  whose  mouth 
^°^®  they  are  put,  is  a  wretch  whom   his 

creator  holds  up  alternately  to  ridicule  and  loath- 
ing. His  public  recitations  are  greeted  with  show- 
ers of  stones,  which,  from  long  habit,  he  receives 

*  Of  course  such  a  poem  could  not  have  been  included  in  the 
Satirae  without  destroying  its  proportions  entirely. 


8      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

calmly  enough.  On  this  occasion  his  companions, 
with  whom  he  has  just  planned  a  particularly 
daring  swindle,  allow  him  to  hold  forth  in  peace 
to  beguile  a  tedious  journey  on  foot.  When  poem 
and  journey  are  ended,  literature  is  dropped  with- 
out further  comment,  and  the  intrigue  goes  on  as 
before.  All  this,  on  the  face  of  it,  might  be  con- 
sidered sufficient  proof  that  nothing  assigned  to 
the  old  poet  was  to  be  taken  seriously.  But  it  is 
Petronius's  way  to  throw  a  dash  of  satire  even 
over  what  he  seriously  means.  The  remarks  on 
the  decay  of  the  fine  arts  and  of  science  are  in- 
trusted to  this  same  Eumolpus,  and  the  criticism 
of  the  declamatores,  the  justice  of  which  is  proved 
by  abundant  evidence,^  is  divided  between  the 
sponging  and  shifty  Agamemnon  and  the  cowardly 
profligate  Encolpius.  It  is  in  the  same  spirit  that 
Apuleius  allows  the  exquisite  story  of  Cupid  and 
Psyche  ^  to  be  told  by  the  repulsive  old  hag  in  the 
robbers'  den.  Either  Petronius  did  not  consider 
that  the  incongruity  involved  made  much  differ- 

1  E.g.  Pers.,  Ill,  44  ff.;  Juv.,  VII.,  150  ff.;  Quintil.,  II,  20, 
4  ff. ;  V,  12,  17  ff. ;  VIII,  3,  76.  For  examples  of  the  declamationes 
themselves,  see  those  ascribed  to  Quintilian,  and  Seneca's 
Controversiae.  It  should  be  noted  that  part  of  Petronius's 
discussion  of  this  subject  and  the  whole  chapter  on  poetry  (118) 
are  included  in  Saintsbury's  Loci  Critici  (Boston,  1903). 

2  Met.,  IV,  28  .    .   .  VI,  24. 


Introduction  9 

ence,  or  else  he  realized  that  just  such  incon- 
sistencies of  intellect  and  character  are  common 
enough  in  real  life.  Looking  without  prejudice  at 
Eumolpus's  discussion,  we  may  disagree  with  some 
of  his  conclusions,  but  we  shall  not  find  anything 
to  ridicule.  Beginning  with  poetry  in  general,  he 
gives  us  an  appreciation  of  Horace  which  has 
become  justly  celebrated,^  and  then  goes  on  to 
the  epic  and  his  own  ideal  of  a  work  freed  from 
the  restraint  of  troublesome  facts  and  elevated 
above  the  commonplace  by  an  indirect  method 
of  treatment  and  the  introduction  of  mythological 
elements :  ut  potius  furentis  animi  vaticinatio 
apparent  quam  religiosae  orationis  sub  testihus 
fides.  He  then,  by  way  of  illustration,  offers 
the  much-disputed  epic  fragment  which  one 
party  has  hailed  as  superior  to  Lucan  ^  and 
almost  equal  to  Vergil,'*  and  the  other  has  decried 
as  tasteless  and  stupid  bombast. 

That  Petronius,  a  mocker  and  a  realist,  should 
engage  in  the  battles  of  artificial  literature,  and  even 
essay  to  contribute  to  it  himself,  seems  so  strange, 
that  the  question  at  once  suggests  itself :  Had 
he,  in  composing  this  poem,  any  special  motive 

*  Horatii  curiosa  felicitas. 

*  Dousa,  Praecidanea,  II,  12. 
» Anton,  Ed.,  note  to  1.  295. 


10      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

which  can  still  be  discovered?  The  almost 
unanimous  answer  has  been  that  it  was  an  undis- 
Theories  as  guised  Satire  upon  Lucan.i  Wester- 
to  the  au-  burg  "  and  E.  Thomas  ^  add  that  it  is 
pose(Petro-  double-edged,  ridiculing  the  conserva- 
nius  and  tives  in  the  person  of  Eumolpus,  even 
^^^^>  while    attacking    the    newer    school. 

The  Troiae  Halosis,  whether  considered  as  directed 
against  Lucan  or  Nero,*  is  included  in  all  this.  More 
moderate  views  are  those  of  Margaritori  ^  and 
Heitland."  Margaritori  considers  the  lines  a  mere 
reproduction  of  the  epic  convention  of  the  day, 
to  which  Petronius  could  not  have  attached  much 
importance,  since  he  assigned  them  to  Eumolpus,^ 
while  Heitland  finds  that  they  were  "thrown  off 
half  in  rivalry,  half  in  imitation  of  Lucan."  To 
Collignon  also  the  poem  is  "tout  au  plus  une 
refonte  partielle  du  poeme  d'apres  une  point  de  vue 

1  E.g.  Dousa,  I.e.,  Teuffel  in  Rhein.  Mus.,  Vol.  IV  (1846), 
p.  511  ff.  E.  ;  Thomas,  op.  cit.,  p.  93  f.  Boissier,  U Opposition 
sous  les  Cesars  (Paris,  1892),  V,  III,  adds  that,  in  attacking 
Lucan,  Petronius  may  have  intended  to  please  Nero. 

2  Petron  und  Lucan,  Rhein.  Mus.,  Vol.  XXXVIII  (1883), 
p.  92  ff. 

3  Op.  cit,  Ch.  IV,   §  1. 

4  See  p.  5,  n.  2. 

^  Petronio  Arbitro  (Vercelli,  1897),  pp.  49  and  54. 

*  Introduction  to  Haskin's  Lucan  (London,  1887),  (31). 

^  But  see  p.  7  f. 


Introd  uction  11 

specielle.  Les  deux  pokes  different  sur  la  fagon 
de  comprendre  le  role  et  le  caractere  du  merveiUeux 
dans  r epopee."  ^  Tailhade,"  in  his  translation, 
omits  as  interpolations  "d'un  scholiaste  bete"  all 
verses  in  the  work  that  are  not  closely  joined  to 
the  story  (Avis  Premonitoire,  p.  xxvi).  This  does 
not  seem  to  include  the  Bellu7n  Civile,  but  he 
omits  it  also,  although  he  translates  chapter  118, 
even  to  tamquam  si  placet  hie  impetus,  etc.,  and 
then,  having  merely  inserted  the  name  of  the 
poem,  continues:  "  Eumolpus,  ay  ant  avec  sa 
rhapsodic,  etc."  De  Boisjoslin,  in  his  Preface  to 
the  book,  calls  the  Bellum  Civile  an  "episode  de 
hasard,  que  la  deraison  du  copiste  a  insere  dans 
cette  aventure." 

The  view  that  Petronius  was  criticizing  or  paro- 
dying Lucan  rests,  first  upon  the  language  of 
Examina-  chapter  118,  second  upon  the  internal 
tion  of  the     evidence  of  the  poem  itself.    The  criti- 

eones  ^j^^^  j^  plain.  The  words  of  Eumolpus  : 
non  enim  res  gestae  versibus  comprehendendae  sunt, 
quod  longe  melius  historici  faciunt,  point  directly 
to  the  school  of  which  Lucan  was  the  most  dis- 
tinguished member,  while  the  fact  that  he  takes 
as  his  example  belli  civilis  ingens  opus,  and  that 

»  Collignon,  Etude  sur  Pitrone  (Paris,  1892),  Ch.  V.    ' 
^PetTone,  le  Satire  (Paris,  1902). 


12      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

his  own  lines  are  so  full  of  reminiscences  of  the 
Pharsalia,  shows  that  he  must  have  had  Lucan 
himself  particularly  in  mind.^  But  it  does  not 
follow  that  his  purpose  was  parody  or  travesty.^ 
Criticism  and  parody  do  not  go  well  together, 
and  it  seems  utterly  unnatural  that,  having  stated 
his  objections  to  Lucan's  method  in  a  sober  and 
reasonable  manner,  he  should  immediately  nullify 
them  all  by  offering  in  support  of  his  own  theory 
a  mere  burlesque,  or  a  poem  so  absurd  and 
tasteless  as  to  discredit  all  that  he  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  say.  Nor,  indeed,  is  it  easy  to 
see  how  he  could  have  aimed  at  both  schools  at 
once  without  inevitably  missing  both.  The  fact 
that  his  taste  may  have  been  at  fault  or  his  pro- 
posed plan  for  the  ingens  opus  a  bad  one,  proves 
nothing,  if  it  appears  that  he  presented  it  in 
good  faith.^ 

1  As  Teuffel  says  (I.e.),  Petronius  probably  omits  Lucan'3 
name  because  he  was  stUl  alive.  His  meaning  was  clear  enough 
without  it. 

2  Westerburg,  op.  cit.,  distinguishes  the  two  forms  in  this 
poem,  parody  in  its  details,  and  travesty  in  the  form  and  spirit 
of  the  whole. 

'  In  the  argument  which  follows  I  shall,  of  course,  be  com- 
pelled to  rely  largely  upon  my  own  feeling  with  regard  to  the 
poem.  Humor  is  not  to  be  discovered  by  analysis,  and  those 
who  seek  it  so  are  apt  to  miss  it  where  it  is  and  find  it  where  it 
is  not. 


Introduction  13 

Let  us  turn  now  to  the  evidence  afforded  by 
the  parallel  passages.^  The  first  point  that 
The  parallel  must  strike  any  one  is  their  number. 
passages  jj^  ^j^g  historical  parts  of  the  poem 
(including  the  portents,  122-140,  which  are  treated 
as  history  by  both  authors)  they  are  practically 
continuous.  Those  portions  devoted  to  the  super- 
natural element,  as  is  natural,  show  only  incidental 
reminiscences.  The  opening  passage  on  Roman 
decadence  is  also  full  of  parallels,  but  Caesar's 
descent  from  the  Alps,  177-208,  appears  to  be 
quite  independent.-  Returning  for  further  light 
to  the  critics,  we  are  told,  first  of  all,  that  Petro- 
nius  "follows  Lucan  step  by  step,"  ^  and  this  is 
taken  as  evidence  of  a  satirical  purpose.  It  should 
be  remembered,  however,  that,  as  both  authors 
are  drawing  from  the  same  historical  sources,  this 
resemblance  of  outhne  is  only  natural.  The  tragic 
poets  of  Athens  all  used  the  same  cycle  of  myths 
and  legends,  yet,  with  one  exception,^  they  seem 
to  have  been  content  to  pursue  each  his  own 

1  See  p.  71  ff. 

2  For  further  discussion  of  this  passage,  see  p.  38. 

'  Moesder  Quaestionum  Petronianarum  Specimen  Alterum 
et  Terlium  (Hirschberg,  1865),  p.  9.  Boissier,  op.  cit.,  V,  II, 
p.  244. 

*  Eurip.  El.,  520-544.  But  the  intention  of  criticism  here 
is  denied  by  Murray,  in  his  Translation  (London,  1908).  Note 
to  U.  510-545. 


14      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

course  without  assailing  that  of  any  one  else. 
Going  farther,  Westerburg  '  finds  the  whole  poem 
a  travesty  of  the  Pharsalia  both  in  manner  and  in 
spirit ;  1-60  is  a  " Kapuzinerpredicht."  As  specific 
cases  of  parody  he  cites  fames  premit  advena  classes, 
16,  where  Petronius  applies  to  tigers  for  the  arena 
the  words  which  Lucan  had  used  of  Actium  :  et 
quas  premit  aspera  classes  Leucas  (I,  42  f). 
Julia's  prophetic  words  : 

praeparat  imiumeras  puppes  Acherontis  adusti 
portitor  III,  16  f. 

are  "very  well  parodied"  by  Fortuna : 

vix  navita  Porthmeus 
sufficiet  simulacra  virum  traducere  cumba  ; 
classe  opus  est.  117-119. 

Petronius's 

sentit  terra  deos  mutataque  sidera  pondus 
quaesivere  suum  264  f. 

ridicules  Lucan's  address  to  Nero  : 

aetheris  immensi  partem  si  presseris  unam, 

sentiet  axis  onus,     librati  pondera  caeli 

orbe  tene  medio.  I,  56-58.^ 

and  the  Sullanus  ensis  personified,  1.  98,  and  repre- 
sented as  drinking  blood,  parodies  : 

1  Op.   cit.  2  See  p.  19. 


Introduction  15 

sic  et  Sullanum  solito  tibi  lambere  ferrum 

durat,  Magne,  sitis.  I,  330  f. 

It  will  be  admitted,  I  think,  that  a  parody  should, 
above  all  things,  be  amusing.  But  compare  these, 
or  any  of  the  parallels,  with  Aristophanes's  paro- 
dies of  Euripides,^  and  it  will  at  once  appear  how 
far  from  genuine  parody  they  are.  Nor  is  the 
poem  a  burlesque  in  tone,  like  the  Apocolocyritosis 
of  Seneca.  Yet,  as  Petronius's  prose  narrative 
shows,  he  had  a  rare  talent  for  that  artistic  ex- 
aggeration and  use  of  the  unexpected  and  incon- 
gruous, which  is  the  very  soul  of  this  kind  of  fun. 
Moessler,2  going  more  into  details,  finds  in  116-121 
a  triple  reflection  on  Lucan,  III,  14-19.  Fortuna 
is  substituted  for  Julia  as  the  speaker.  Tisiphone 
is  painted  more  luridly  than  Lucan's  Eumenides, 
and  laceratus  ducitur  orbis  is  meant  to  be  at  once 
simpler  and  more  elegant  than  lassant  rumpentis 
stamina  Parcas.  Again,  in  describing  the  panic 
at  Rome,  209-244,  answering  to  Lucan,  I,  466-522, 
Petronius  first  exaggerates  by  giving  Caesar  a 

1  E.g.  in  Alcestis,  181-182,  the  heroine,  dying  to  save  her 
husband,  bids  farewell  to  her  marriage-bed  :  .  .  .  ""^  d'HWr]  tis 
•yvvT]  KeKTrjaiTai  |  cruxppuv  fxiv  ovk  &.v  ixaWov,  eiiTVxv^  SYerws. 
In  Equites,  1251-1252,  Cieon  reluctantly  surrenders  his  wreath 
to  the  man  who  has  proved  a  greater  scoundrel  than  he  :  .  .  . 
ff^  d'&Wos  TLS  Xajiwv  KfKTrjfffTai.  |  kX^ttttjs  fj-^v  ovk  ctv  ixdWov, 
fVTvxv^   5'lcruii. 

2  Quaestionum  Specimen  Allerum,  p.  18. 


16      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

fleet,  then  softens  the  picture  of  the  flight  from 
the  city  by  substituting  tearful  farewells  for  head- 
long desertion,  and  finally  sets  238-244  against 
the  brevity  of  Lucan's  Pompeio  fugiente  timent,  522, 
In  weighing  the  force  of  these  assertions,  it  will 
readily  be  conceded  that  Petronius's  terms,  in  the 
first  passage,  are  stronger  than  Lucan's,  but  they 
are  far  from  startling  for  that  extrava,gant  age. 
And  the  fleets,  although  unhistorical,  are  a  smaller 
addition  to  Caesar's  forces  than  : 

inter  Rhenum  populos  Alpesque  iacentis 
finibus  Arctois  patriaque  a  sede  revolsos.  I,  481  f. 

Again,  in  the  second  passage,  the  seven  lines 
about  Pompey  are  not  to  be  set  against  Lucan's 
three  words,  but  against  the  many  long  passages 
devoted  to  him  throughout  the  Pharsalia}  Ob- 
serve also  that  in  repeating  the  storm  simile,  233- 
237,  Petronius  ignores  Lucan's  absurd  descrip- 
tion of  captain  and  crew  jumping  overboard 
through  fear  of  shipwreck  (I,  498-503).  As  to 
the  general  line  of  reasoning  adopted  by  these 
critics,  it  will  be  seen  that  imitation  and  varia- 
tion, strengthening  or  softening  of  terms,  are  all 

1  For  a  full  list,  see  Heitland,  op.  cit.  (38).  This  is  the  only 
place  where  Petronius  gives  Pompey  more  than  a  passing 
mention. 


Introduction  17 

put  into  the  same  category,  and  interpreted  in 
accordance  with  the  same  theory. 

In  order  to  appreciate  how  far  from  exaggera- 
tion Petronius  is  in  his  imitations  of  Lucan,  let 
us  take  another  and  more  striking  case.  Caesar's 
address  to  his  soldiers,  156-176,  corresponds,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  to  two  long  orations  in  the 
Pharsalia,^  and  recalls  at  least  three  shorter  pas- 
sages.2  The  difference  in  length  is  not  the 
point ;  that  follows  naturally  from  the  difference 
in  scale  between  the  two  poems,  but  the  tone  of 
Petronius  is  as  much  quieter  as  his  words  are 
fewer.  The  lines  of  thought,  argument,  and 
appeal  are  identical,  but  in  the  Pharsalus 
speech  Lucan  permits  his  villain-hero  to  display 
a  ferocity  quite  lacking  in  Petronius's  charac- 
terization.^    Compare  also  171  f. : 

1 1,  299-351,  at  Ariminum  ;  VII,  250-329,  before  Pharsalus. 
2 1,  195-203,  225-227,  288  f. 
3  292-294.     See  p.  84. 

sed  dum  tela  micant,  non  vos  pietatis  imago 
uUa  nee  adversa  conspecti  fronte  parentes 
commoveant  :  vultus  gladio  turbate  verendos. 

320-322. 
Petronius's:  victores  ite  furentes, 

ite  mei  comites  et  causam  dicite  ferro  168  f. 

merely  answers  to  VII,  261  f.: 

si  pro  me  patriam  ferro  flammisque  pctistis, 
nunc  pugnate  truces,  gladiosque  exsolvite  culpa, 
c 


18      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

reddenda  est  gratia  vobis, 
non  solus  vici 

with  Lucan,  I,  340-345  ;  VII,  257  f.,  and  264-269. 
Petronius's  mei  comites  crystallizes  feelings  upon 
which  Lucan  enlarges  again  and  again.  Then 
there  is  the  quiet : 

quia  poena  tropaeis 
imminet  et  sordes  meruit  victoria  nostra 

172  f. 

against  the  hysterical  appeal : 

Caesareas  spectate  cruces,  spectate  catenas, 
et  caput  hoc  positum  Rostris  effusaque  membra 

VII,  304  f. 

which  is  immediately  weakened  by  what  follows : 

vestri  cura  movet :  nam  me  secura  manebit 
sors  quaesita  manu  :   fodientem  viscera  cernet 
me  mea  qui  nondum  victo  respexerit  hoste. 

308-310. 

Lastly,  there  is  nothing  in  the  Petronian  passage 
to  recall  the  absurd  : 

cuius  non  militis  ensem 
agnoscam  ?  caelumque  tremens  cum  lancea  transit 
dicere  non  fallar  quo  sit  vibrata  lacerto. 

VII,  287-289. 

Had  ridicule  been  Petronius's  object,  he  would 


Introduction  19 

scarcely  have  let  pass  so  tempting  an  oppor- 
tunity as  that. 

In  the  remaining  passages  it  will  be  found 
that  Petronius,  while  frequently  the  more  ob- 
scure of  the  two,  is  also  as  a  rule  the  more  re- 
strained. Take,  for  example,  the  passage  already 
quoted  : 

sentit  terra  decs  mutataque  sidera  pondus 
quaesivere  sumn.  264  f. 

This  ascription  of  weight  to  the  gods,  also  found 
repeatedly  in  Seneca's  tragedies,'  is  utterly  un- 
poetical,  and,  like  the  operation  of  the  law  of 
gravity  in  general,  brings  us  down  to  earth  with 
a  thud.  But  how  does  Petronius's  use  of  it 
compare  with  Lucan's  ?  That  consistent  patriot 
applies  it,  not  to  the  old  noblesse  of  Olympus, 
but  to  the  divine  Nero,  urging  him,  when  the 
day  of  his  apotheosis  shall  come,  to  "  keep  the 
heavens  trimmed,"  ■  by  sitting  carefully  in  the 
middle  !  ^  Certainly,  Petronius's  simple  use  of 
the  idea  is  no  match  for  this  high  development 
of  it.  Finally,  to  understand  what  would  be 
necessary  in  order  really  to  outdo  Lucan  in  his 
most  reckless  mood,  the  account  of  the  storm  in 

»  See  on  264. 

^  The  expression  is  Heitland's,  op.  cit.  (46),  d. 

^  For  the  lines,  see  p.  14. 


20      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

which  Caesar  crossed  from  Dyrrachium  to  Brun- 
disium  ^  should  be  considered,  where  the  waves 
are  held  down  by  the  clouds,  and  the  sea  would 
leave  its  bed  to  overwhelm  the  land,  did  not  the 
winds,  all  blowing  at  once,  protect  each  his  own 
coast.^  And  to  appreciate  what  Petronius  could 
have  done,  had  he  chosen  to  amuse  himself  with 
Lucan  and  his  heroes,  we  need  only  turn  back  to 
some  of  the  excursions  into  mythology  and  history 
made  by  his  wonderful  Trimalchio.  ' '  Rogo,  inquit, 
Agamemnon  mihi  carissime,  numquid  duodecim 
aerumnas  Herculis  tenes,  aut  de  Ulixe  fabulam, 
quemadmodum  UK  Cyclops  pollicem  poraino  ex- 
torsit  f  solebam  haec  ego  puer  apud  Homerum 
legere "  (48).  "Scitis,  inquit,  quam  fabulam  agant  f ' 
Diomedes  et  Ganymedes  duo  fratres  fuerunt.  ho- 
rum  soror  erat  Helena.  Agamemnon  illam  rapuit 
et  Dianae  cervam  subiecit.  ita  nunc  Homeros  dicit, 
quemadmodum  inter  se  pugnent  Troiani  et  Paren- 
tini.     vicit    scilicet    et    Iphigeniam,   filiam    suam, 

1  V,  560-677.  This  will  also  throw  some  light  on  the  state- 
ment of  E.  Thomas,  op.  cit.,  p.  91,  that  Petronius,  in  imitating 
portions  of  the  Pharsalia,  had  chosen  those  that  we  would 
condemn  sans  reserve. 

2  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  this  is  not  represented  as  a 
miracle,  wrought  by  the  personal  intervention  of  a  god,  as  in 
Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  81-123,  but  a  storm  weathered  —  in  an  open 
boat  —  by  a  historical  personage  in  a  rationalistic  epic. 

5  59.     A  Homeric  scene  is  about  to  be  acted. 


Introduction  21 

Achilli  dedit  uxoreni.  oh  earn  rem  Aiax  insanit  et 
statim  argumentum  expUcabit." 

One  passage  remains  to  be  considered,  the  open- 
ing denunciation  of  luxury  and  avarice  and  their 
The  pro-  attendant  evils,  which  occupies  over 
logue  Qne  fifth  of  the  whole  poem,  and  in 

fullness  of  detail  far  exceeds  anything  similar  in 
Lucan,  It  has  been  remarked  ^  that  many  of 
these  details  belong  rather  to  the  Empire  than  to 
the  Republic,  and  it  has  accordingly  been  marked 
as  a  special  piece  of  satire,  aimed,  not  at  Lucan 
only,  but  also  at  Seneca  and  other  moral  writers.^ 
It  is  true  that  most  of  the  crying  evils  which  it 
assails  had  been  and  continued  to  be  made  the 
object  of  attacks  which  were  powerless  to  reform 
them,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  Petronius,  in 
adding  his  voice,  was  insincere.^  Indeed,  the 
length  and  vehemence  of  the  passage,  even  its 
overloaded  obscurity,  may  have  been  due  to  a 
warmth  of  indignation  that  marred,  instead  of 
making,  verses.  There  is  nothing  in  the  words 
which  shows  a  desire  to  ridicule  those  who  pro- 
fessed to  say  such  things  in  earnest.  At  worst 
they  are  simply  the  stereotyped  sermon  without 

'  Moessler,  De  Petronii  Poemate  de  Bella  Civili  (Breslau, 
1842),  §  15. 

'  Westcrburg,  op.  cit.,  p.  93. 
'  Cf.  the  position  of  Juvenal. 


22      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

which  no  serious  poem  of  that  time  was  com- 
plete.^ And  there  is  quite  as  much  probabihty 
that  Petronius,  with  his  broad  if  perverse  out- 
look,^ would  sometimes  be  stirred  by  such  abuses, 
as  that  they  would  move  Lucan,  absorbed  in  his 
epic  and  its  wonderful  author.  As  to  the  dispro- 
portionate length  of  the  passage,  which  occupies 
more  space  than  any  other  single  division  of  the 
poem,  it  may  be  due  merely  to  the  lack  of  ultima 
manus  which  would  have  removed  superfluities 
and  adjusted  the  parts  to  the  whole. 

Why,  then,  if  satire  or  positive  criticism  was 
not  his  purpose,  did  Petronius,  after  declaring 
Imitations  against  the  historically  conducted  epic, 
of  other  follow  its  prophet  so  closely  ?  In  seek- 
^°^  ^  ing  to  answer  this  we  must  bear  in 

mind  that  Lucan  is  not  the  only  poet  from  whom 
Petronius  has  borrowed,  but  merely  the  chief  of 

1  See  the  notes  on  this  passage. 

*  For  a  touch  of  human  sympathy,  cf.  Trimalchio's  words 
(71)  :  "amid,  inquit,  et  servi  homines  sunt  et  aeque  unum  lactem 
biberunt  etiam  si  illos  m,alus  fatus  oppressit."  The  man  into 
whose  mouth  these  words  are  put  treats  his  slaves  as  a  spoiled 
child  his  toys,  but  still,  what  he  says  here,  ungrammatically 
and  in  a  moment  of  drunken  sentimentality,  reads  like  the 
honest  conviction  of  his  creator.  Cf.  also  the  frequently 
repeated  phrase,  hoino  inter  homines,  applied  to  the  freed  slave, 
and  at  the  same  time  illuminating  the  other  side  of  the  great 
gulf. 


Introduction  23 

many.  A  large  number  of  parallel  passages,  from 
various  authors,  will  be  found  scattered  through 
the  notes/  Those  from  the  tragedies  of  Seneca 
are  the  most  numerous,  outside  of  Lucan,  and 
most  noteworthy.  A  comparison  of  the  quotations 
from  the  works  of  the  uncle  and  nephew  will 
show,  incidentally,  some  of  the  many  resemblances 
between  them,  and  show  also  that  if,  in  his  bor- 
rowings, Petronius  generally  went  to  Lucan  for 
his  language,  the  line  of  thought  is  apt  to  be 
closer  to  that  of  Seneca.  This  is  especially  true 
of  the  figures  with  which  he  embroiders  his  web. 
The  points  of  the  compass,^  the  laws  of  physics,^ 
have  a  potent  attraction  for  these  men,  to  whom 
really  poetical  ideas  so  seldom  come.*  There  are 
also  the  same  set  descriptions  of  nature  in  her 
angry  moods,  of  yawning  chasms  and  unfruitful 
fields.  Tombs  "ope  their  ponderous  and  marble 
jaws,"  and  the  light  of  day  is  suddenly  flashed 


^  Those  from  later  writers  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  general 
prevalence  of  the  custom. 
2  See  on  1.  2. 

'  E.g.  the  center  of  gravity,  264  f. ;    the  conflict  between 
weight  and  supporting  power,  85. 

*  Contrast  such  a  fancy  as  that  of  Vergil,  where  Aeneas  in 
the  Underworld  sees  Dido  : 

obscuram,  qualem  primo  qui  surgere  mense 

aut  videt  aut  vidisse  putat  per  nubila  liinam.    VI,  453  f. 


24      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

upon  the  realms  of  everlasting  night.  A  conceit 
of  which  Seneca  is  particularly  fond,  introducing 
it,  commutatis  verbis  atque  sententiis,  no  less  than 
four  times,^  is  the  enumeration  of  the  grim  phan- 
toms at  the  gates  of  Hades.  In  this  he  is  follow- 
ing Vergil,-  and  is  followed  in  turn  by  Petronius,^ 
but  Lucan,  although  his  witch  Erichtho^  has 
much  to  say  about  the  Lower  World,  never  men- 
tions them.  Comparisons  drawn  from  storms  at 
sea  are  found  almost  everywhere  in  Latin  poetry, 
but  there  is  a  link  between  the  similes  of  this 
trio  made  by  their  fondness  for  the  word  regimen. 
The  Furies,  too,  are  the  common  property  of 
the  poets  of  the  Empire,  who  overwork  them 
mercilessly.  For  the  locus  communis  of  reflec- 
tions on  the  fates  of  the  members  of  the  First 
Triumvirate,  or  of  Pompey  and  his  two  sons,  see 
the  notes  to  11.  61-66. 
To  sum  up,  Petronius  has  drawn,  first  and 
,    .        chiefly,  from  Lucan  ;  secondly,  but  still 

Conclusion      ,  -^ '         ^  \  .^      .  ,, 

for  a  great    amount,    considermg  the 
difference  in  subjects,  from  Seneca  ;  ^  thirdly,  from 

^  H.  F.,  92-103,  690-696 ;  Oed.,  588-592,  650  f. 

2  Aen.,  VI.,  273  ff. 

'  Letumque  Insidiaeque  et  lurida  Mortis  imago,  257. 

*  VI,  507  ff. 

*  Or  perhaps  from  the  same  traditional  literary  stock  from 
which  Seneca  drew. 


Introduction  25 

Vergil/  Horace,  Catullus,  rarely  from  Lucretius,^ 
perhaps  never  directly  from  Ennius.  In  like 
maimer,  later  poets  borrow  from  him  as  well  as 
from  more  voluminous  writers.^  His  epic  frag- 
ment, while  not  original  enough  to  lend  much 
weight  to  the  theory  which  it  illustrates,  is,  when 
judged  by  contemporary  standards,  the  reverse  of 
absurd.  For  its  object,  it  appears,  as  Heitland  ^ 
says,  "to  have  been  thrown  off  half  in  rivalry, 
half  in  imitation  of  Lucan."  Probably  the  versa- 
tile author  wished  to  add  to  his  satira  of  moods 
and  manners  a  specimen  of  legitimate  epic  poetry, 
as  then  understood.  Perhaps,  too,  piqued  by  Lu- 
can's  air  of  possessing  the  entire  field,  he  wished 
to  show  how  easily  such  conventional  work  might 
be  done.  It  does  not  follow  that  he  thought  the 
result  great  poetry,  or  expected  any  one  else  to 
think  so.      It  is  also  probable  that  he  really  did 

1  One  sometimes  finds  in  Vergil  a  phrase  which  has  roused 
several  echoes  in  Petronius,  none  of  them  complete.  E.g.  Ge., 
II,  510:   gaudent  perfusi  sanguine  fratrum.     Cf.  75,  214. 

'  But  in  chapter  134,  12,  4  f.  there  is  a  distinct  Lucretian 
reminiscence:  mihi  pontus  inertes  \  smnmittit  fLuctus.  There  are 
other  echoes  of  Lucretius  in  the  same  poem.  The  resemblance 
here  is  not  in  sense  but  in  sound. 

*  Cf .  Stat.  Theb.,  Ill,  661  :  primus  in  orbe  deos  fecit  timor,  and 
Petr.,  Frag.  27  (Buecheler),  Poetae  Latini  Minores,  XLIII,  76 
(Teub.) 

*0p.  cit.  (31). 


26      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

believe  in  keeping  epic  poetry  within  the  realm  of 
imagination  —  as  he  understood  it  —  and  distinct 
from  history.  What  he  failed  to  see  was  the  futil- 
ity of  attempting  such  treatment  with  a  subject 
which  was,  and  must  remain,  historical,  whose  per- 
sons could  not  be  demigods  and  did  not  deserve 
to  be  puppets.  By  his  manner  of  introducing  the 
poem  he  contrived,  first,  to  disarm  criticism  to  a 
certain  extent,  and,  second,  as  Tacitus  says  of  his 
indomitable  Petronius,^  to  show  that  his  ignavia 
had  achieved  as  much  as  the  industria  of  others. 
Finally,  in  so  far  as  it  is  critical,  its  criticism  is 
of  a  negative  kind,  incompatible  with  parody  or 
travesty,  which  consists  in  writing  sensibly  where 
Lucan  allowed  himself  to  drift  into  folly.^  The 
many  close  resemblances  to  the  Pharsalia  would 
serve  precisely  to  bring  out  the  differences  and 
make  his  readers  reflect  on  them.^  Besides  this, 
in  handling  Lucan's  subject,  he  probably  felt 
that,  until  superseded,  Lucan  had  said  the  last 
word  on  it,  and  therefore  he  borrowed  from  him 
whenever  convenient  as  frankly  as  Lucan  himself 

^L.c. 

2  "  It  reads  like  a  fair  copy  written  to  show  Lucan  how  to  do 
it."     Heitland,  op.  cit.  (6). 

2  CoUignon,  Etude  sur  Petrone,  Ch.  V,  gives  as  a  reason  for  not 
considering  the  poem  a  parody  of  the  Pharsalia :  "  Elle  lui  fait 
trap  d'emprunts  non  deguisea.'[ 


Introduction  27 

from  Vergil  ^  and  Vergil  from  Ennius ;  nay,  even 
more,  for  Petronius  was  not,  either  by  nature  or 
training,  a  poet,  and  needed  outside  assistance  to 
make  up  the  deficiency. 

At  this  point  the  question  presents  itself :  How 

much    of    the   Pharsalia   did    Petronius   know?^ 

Following  the  words  of    the   Life   of 

Petronius  s  -i  i 

knowledge  Lucan  attributed  to  the  sixth-century 
of  the  grammarian  Vacca,^  it  has  been  gener- 

Pliaraaha  hit  r>  i 

ally  believed  that  only  the  first  three 
books  of  his  epic  were  published  during  this 
author's  lifetime.  His  suicide,  commanded  by 
Nero  for  his  participation  in  Piso's  conspiracy, 
took  place  in  65  a.d.,  Petronius's  in  66,  Nero's 
own  in  68.     It  w^ould  stand  to  reason  that,  under 

1  See  Heitland,  op.  cit.  (51),  for  a  list  of  Vergilian  reminis- 
cences covering  16  pages,  and  Nisard,  Les  Pontes  latins  de  la 
decadence  (3d  ed.,  Paris,  1867),  vol.  2,  p.  333  ff.,  for  a  discus- 
sion of  Luean's  debt  to  Vergil,  Ge.,  I,  4C6-4SS. 

2  Assuming  him  to  have  been  C.  Petronius. 

'  Quippe  el  certamine  pentaeterico  ado  in  Pompeii  theatro 
laureis  recilante  Nerone  fuerat  coronatits;  et  ex  tempore  Orphea 
scriptum  in  experimenium  ingenii  ediderat  et  III  libros  quales 
videmus  .  .  .  (^ad  fin.)  stca  sponte  coactus  vita  excedere  venas 
sibi  praecidit  .  .  .,  non  sine  iactura  utililatis  cum  patriae  quae 
tantam  irnmature  amisit  indolem  turn  studiorum  quoqite.  re- 
liqui  enim  VII  belli  civilis  libri  locum  calumniantibus  tamquxim 
mendosi  non  darent.  qui  tametsi  sub  vera  crimine  non  egent 
patrocinio,  de  iisdem  did  quod  in  Ovidii  libris  praescribitur 
potest :  '  emcndaturus  si  licuisset  erat.'  (A  list  of  his  other 
writings  follows.) 


28      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

the  circumstances,  Lucan's  friends  would  not 
have  dared  to  publish  the  remaining  books  until 
after  the  Emperor's  death,  so  that  Petronius 
could  not  have  read  them.  Westerburg,^  how- 
ever, noticing  Petronius's  unmistakable  imita- 
tions of  the  Seventh  Book,  admitted  this  also, 
attributing  his  knowledge  of  it  to  recitations. 
Outside  of  these  four  books  he  found  but  one 
parallel,  that  between  VI,  817  f. : 

Europam,  miseri,  Libyamque  Asiamque  timete; 
distribuit  tumulos  vestris  Fortuna  triumphis. 

and  Petronius's  epitaph  on  the  First  Triumvirate, 
61-66.  This  he  considered  accidental,  as  indeed, 
if  it  stood  alone,  it  might  well  be.^  Heitland, 
however,  though  he  does  not  mention  this  case, 
finds  six  others,  making  no  distinction  between 
Book  VII  and  the  rest  of  the  group,  and  inclines 
to  the  belief  that  Petronius  knew  them  all.^ 
In  addition  to  these  the  following  striking  in- 
stances may  be  noted  : 

maerentia  tecta 
Caesar  habet  vacuasque  demos.  Phar.  V,  30  f . 

cf .  225 : 

^Op.  cit.,  p.  95. 

2  See  p.  24  and  notes  to  61-66. 

5  He  cites  IX,  706  f.  (14-16);  X,  133  f.  (21  f.);  IX,  426- 
430  (27-29);  X,  338  f.  (64);  VI,  718  (95-97);  VII,  126-127, 
(235-237). 


Introduction  29 

mmoris  sonitu  maerentia  tecta  relinquunt. 

auribus  incertum  feralis  strideat  umbra. 

VI,  623. 
cf.  138 : 

umbrarum  facies  diro  stridore  minantur. 
baud  multum  terrae  spatium  restabat  Eoae 
ut  tibi  nox  tibi  tota  dies  tibi  curreret  aether, 
omniaque  errantes  stellae  Romana  viderent. 

VII,  423-425. 
and  X,  155-158 : 

quod  terra  quod  aer  ' 
quod  pelagus  Nilusque  dedit,  quod  luxus  inani 
ambitione  furens  toto  quaesivit  in  orbe, 
non  mandante  fame. 

cf.  1-2  : 

orbem  iam  totum  victor  Romanus  habebat 
qua  mare  qua  terrae  qua  sidus  currit  utrumque. 

primaque  Thessaliam  Romano  sanguine  tinxit. 

VII,  473. 
cf.  294  : 

Thessalicosque  sinus  Romano  sanguine  tingue.^ 
spumantis  caede  catervas  VII,  699.^ 

cf.  214  : 

perfusas  sanguine  turmas 

1  For  parallels  from  other  authors,  see  notes  on  1-2. 

'  For  the  reading,  see  Notes. 

'  For  the  Vergilian  parallel,  see  p.  25,  n.  1. 


30      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

and  281 : 

toto  fluitantes  orbe  catervas. 

quae  seges  infecta  surget  non  decolor  herba? 

VII,  851. 

cf.  99  : 

extulit  in  lucem  nutritas  sanguine  fruges. 

Taking  the  Pharsalia  as  a  whole,  and  arranging 
the  books  according  to  the  number  of  times  that 
Petronius  appears  to  have  drawn  upon  them,i 
we  have  the  following  series  :  I,  VII,  X,  VI,  II, 
III,  IV,  IX,  VIII,  V.  The  number  of  parallels 
from  I-III  and  from  IV-X  are  almost  equal. 
The  reason  for  the  preponderant  influence  of 
Books  I  and  VII  is  not  far  to  seek.  Petronius, 
even  if  he  had  known  all  ten  books  equally  well, 
could  hardly  have  found  space  for  borrowmgs 
from  every  part  of  them  unless  he  had  made  his 
295  lines  a  mere  cento  of  Lucan.  The  books 
which  naturally  fixed  his  attention  were  the 
First,  containing  the  opening  scenes  of  the  war, 
to  which  he  has  devoted  most  of  his  own  poem,  and 
the  Seventh,  treating  of  Pharsalus,  the  climax  of 
both  the  struggle  and  the  epic.     But  admitting 

1  For  a  full  list  of  parallel  passages,  see  p.  71  ff.  The  reck- 
oning is,  of  course,  only  approximate,  as  there  would  inevitably 
be  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  how  many  passages  were 
certainly,  and  how  many  only  probably,  conscious  imitations. 


Introduction  31 

all  these  evidences  that  Petronius  was  acquainted 
with  the  last  seven  books  of  the  Pharsalia,  how, 
if  he  died  before  their  publication,  could  he  have 
gained  his  knowledge?  The  question  is  easily 
answered.  First,  there  were  the  "author's  read- 
ings," so  much  in  vogue  at  that  time,  where  not 
only  short  poems,  but  passages  from  longer  ones, 
not  yet  published,  were  declaimed.  Heitland  ^ 
has  remarked  on  the  disastrous  effects  of  this 
custom  upon  Lucan's  work.  Even  when  there 
were  books  still  to  write,  and  improvements  to 
make  in  those  already  written,  Lucan's  favorite 
passages,  those  which  had  stirred  his  imagination 
most,  would  probably  have  been  perfected  and 
read  to  the  court  circle  before  the  ban  of  the  im- 
perial displeasure  silenced  htm.^  Another  —  or 
an  additional  —  explanation  is  offered  by  Heit- 
land :  "My  owTi  view  of  the  probabilities  of  the 
case  is  that  the  words  of  the  earlier  (or  Suetonian) 
Life,  relating  to  Lucan's  emendation  of  some  verses 
just  before  his  death,^  are  the  foundation  of  the 
notion  that  the  later  books  are  uncorrected. 
There  was  some  record  of  the  publication  of  three 
books,  none  of  the  rest.     Out  of  these  materials 

lOp.  cit.  (27). 

2  Tac,  ^nn.,  XV,  49.     Dio,  LXII,  29.     Vacca.  * 

'  Impetrato  autem  mortis  arhitrio  libero  codicillos  ad  patrem 
corrigendis  quibusdam  versibus  auis  exaravit. 


32      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

the  story  of  the  later  Life  *  was  made  up,  and 
has  no  authority :  though  it  may  for  all  that  be 
true."  2 

Such,  then,  is  the  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius, 
and  as  such,  although  an  unfinished  fragment,  it 
General  claims  a  place  in  the  poetic  literature 
estimate  of    of  its  period.     This  period,  known  as 

8  poem  ^j^^  Silver  Age  of  Latin  Literature,  is 
one  of  decadence.  In  poetry  it  includes  Lucan, 
Seneca,  Persius,  Silius  Italicus,  Statins,  Juvenal, 
Martial,  and  some  lesser  names.  Its  characteris- 
tics are  those  which  belong  naturally  to  a  genera- 
tion devoid  of  original  inspiration  :  rhetoric  at  all 
times,  overdevelopment  of  trivial  themes,  ceaseless 
rehandling  of  a  small  and  rather  cheap  set  of  ideas, 
worn  thin  in  the  continual  effort  to  polish  them 
to  new  lustre,  endless  straining  after  sensational 
effects,  sententiae,  antitheses,  paradoxes,  a  general 
lack  of  subtlety,  of  the  ability  to  produce  great 
effects  by  suggestion  and  restraint,  of  beauty, 
delicacy,  and  real  passion ;  a  ceaseless  shouting, 
quibbling,  and  reveling  in  bloodshed  and  physical 
horrors.^     This  does  not  mean  that  the  poetry  of 


1  See  p.  27,  n.  3. 
^Op.cit.  (32). 

'  E.g.  Lucan,  II,  173-190  (the  murder  of  the  brother  of  Ma- 
rius)  ;    VI,  507-830  (episode  of  Erichtho)  ;  Seneca,  Oed.,  960- 


Introduction  33 

the  Silver  Age  is  devoid  of  dignity,  force,  and 
brilliant  workmanship,  but  its  finer  growths  are 
always  in  danger  of  being  choked  by  the  weeds 
that  spring  up  with  them.  To  take  oneself  very 
seriously  was  perhaps  the  first  requisite  of  success 
in  this  school ;  to  be  of  fastidious  taste  would  have 
been  a  fatal  handicap.  In  view  of  all  this,  even 
were  there  nothing  else  to  commend  his  work, 
Petronius  would  deserve  praise  for  self-restraint, 
for  moderation  in  the  use  of  meaningless  details 
and  the  invention  of  absurdities,  and  for  sparing 
us  any  nauseating  tale  of  horrors.  But  this  is  not 
all.  Into  his  fragment  of  less  than  300  lines  he 
has  worked  a  remarkably  full  and  suggestive 
narrative.  Such  little  vignettes  as  61-66,  87-88, 
and  the  prophecy  of  the  great  series  of  battles, 
111-115,  open  up  deep  vistas  to  any  one  famihar 
—  as  was  Petronius's  original  public  —  with  the 
history  of  those  times.  There  is  power  —  the 
power  of  a  keen  mind  to  summarize,  and  the  power 
of  a  strong  imagination  to  visualize  —  in  such 
bits  as  : 

ut  bibat  humanum  populo  plaudente  cruorem. 

18. 

978  ;  and  the  entire  finale  of  H.  O.  (1132-)  and  Med.  (868-). 
Contrast  Vergil's  treatment  of  the  Deiphobus  episode  Aen.,  VI, 
494  ff. 

D 


34      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

non  homo  pulsus  erat,  sed  in  uno  victa  potestas 
Romanumque  decus,  quare  tarn  perdita  Roma 
ipsa  sui  merces  erat  et  sine  vindice  praeda.    48-50. 

luxuriam  spoliorum  et  censum  in  damna  furentem. 

86. 
the  grim  summing  up  : 

iam  pridem  nullo  perfundimus  ora  cruore 
nee  mea  Tisiphone  sitientis  perluit  artus 
ex  quo  Sullanus  bibit  ensis  et  horrida  tellus 
extuUt  in  lucem  nutritas  sanguine  fruges.        96-99. 

and  the  fine  picture  of  the  unconquerable  Caesar 
defying  the  elements,  and  lifted  by  sheer  strength 
of  will  and  purpose  to  a  level  with  the  gods  (201- 
208) .  In  these  passages,  as  in  the  bulk  of  the  poem, 
the  style  is  terse  and  vigorous,  with  the  sugges- 
tion of  some  strong  motive  power  behind  it. 
But  there  are  also  bits  of  great  beauty,  refreshing 
spots  beside  the  road  over  which  the  poet  is  driv- 
ing his  muse  so  relentlessly.     For  instance  : 

iam  Phasidos  unda 
orbata  est  avibus,  mutoque  in  litore  tantum 
solae  desertis  adspirant  frondibus  aurae.        36-38. 

and  : 

(non)  verno  persona  cantu 

mollia  discordi  strepitu  virgulta  loquuntur.       72  f. 

With  a  considerable  variety  of  subject  and  treat- 
ment, and  with  remarkable  freedom  from  the  ver- 


Introduction  35 

bosity  and  exaggeration  of  its  time,  the  poem 
ranks  high  when  compared  with  its  more  preten- 
tious fellows.  If  it  falls  short  of  the  brilliance 
of  Lucan's  best  work,  it  escapes  his  worst  bathos. 
If  it  lacks  the  grace  and  charm  of  Statins,  it  is 
free  from  the  mere  prettiness  into  which  these 
so  often  degenerate.  It  is  in  every  way  superior 
to  the  Bellum  Punicum  of  Silius.  And  all  this, 
it  must  not  be  forgotten,  is  achieved  by  a  writer 
whose  regular  metier  —  whoever  he  may  have 
been  —  was  as  far  as  possible  from  epic  poetry. 

As  to  the  soundness  of  our  author's  theory,  it 
merely  represents  one  horn  of  a  dilemma.  Per 
Petronius'3  ambages  deorumque  ministeria  seems  a 
epic  strange  course  for  a  narrative  of  well- 

^^^  knowTi  public  events  to  pursue.     But 

the  severely  historical  treatment,  on  the  other 
hand,  makes  poetry  well-nigh  impossible.  Nisard  ^ 
finds  two  ways  in  which  the  Pharsalia  might 
have  been  composed  :  "C'etait  ou  de  receuillir  a 
Rome  et  par  toute  Vltalie  les  souvenirs  nationaux 
sur  ces  dernier es  guerres  de  la  liberie,  de  courir  en 
Grece,  en  Egypte,  sur  les  traces  de  Pompee  et  de 
Cesar,  d'interroger  les  pdtres  de  la  Thessalie,  et  de 
composer  une  epopee  de  tous  ces  bruits  populaires ; 
ou  bien  de  peindre  d  grands  traits  la  corruption  d'ou 

1  Op.  cit.,  II,  p.  123  f. 


36      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

sortirent  les  guerres  civiles,  et  d'expliquer  le  grand 
changement  qui  rendit  Cesar  maitre  du  monde." 
Lucan  chose  neither  of  these  ways,  but  it  will  be 
observed  that  the  second  is  not  unlike  what 
Petronius  attempted.  And  before  one  utterly 
condemns  the  plan  of  compelling  the  weary  gods 
once  more  to  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  it 
should  be  noted  that  what  Petronius  meant,  as 
indicated  by  what  he  did,  was  not,  like  Sihus,  to 
reduce  his  characters  to  mere  pawns  pushed  about 
by  divine  players,  but  simply  to  have  the  gods 
set  the  terrific  engine  grinding  —  as  who  would 
venture  to  say  that  Caesar  and  the  Senate  of  the 
moment  could  alone  have  wrought  such  a  thing  ? 
—  to  oversee,  to  prophesy,  and  to  furnish  an  im- 
posing background  for  human  activities,  but  with- 
out putting  any  constraint  upon  human  will  and 
reason.  The  gain  by  such  a  method  would  have 
been  mainly  negative,  in  the  escape  from  the  mass 
of  details,  military  and  political,  which  give  the 
impression  of  religiosae  orationis  suh  testihus  fides, 
and  the  effect  of  the  work  as  a  whole  would  inevi- 
tably have  been  one  of  incongruity.  But  so  is 
that  of  the  Pharsalia}     At  best,  had  the  author 

1  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  Lucan  does  not  dispense 
with  the  supernatural  entirely.  Fortuna  flits  through  his  epic, 
except  where  forced  to  yield  to  the  sterner  abstraction,  Fatum, 
Fama  helps  to  carry  the  tidings  of  war  to  Rome  (I,  469-472). 


Introduction  37 

of  such  an  epic  possessed  sufficient  ability,  he 
might,  Hke  Lucan,  have  made  it  memorable  for  fine 
passages  which  would  compel  the  reader  to  forget 
for  a  moment  the  faulty  design  of  the  whole. 

The  worst  positive  defect  of  the  Bellum  Civile, 
its  frequent  obscurity,  is  a  fault  shared  with 
The  poem  other  poets  of  the  age  —  Lucan,  Per- 
in  detail.        sius,  Juvenal  —  who  wrote  under  high 

scun  y  pj-gggure  of  one  sort  or  another.  It 
doubtless  arose,  in  the  first  instance,  from  a  striv- 
ing after  the  unusual  and  epigrammatic,  the  con- 
stant effort  to  catch  and  hold  the  attention. 
Petronius  is  by  no  means  a  prime  offender;  but 
the  contrast  with  his  smooth-flowing  prose  makes 
the  contortions  of  some  of  his  metrical  passages 
all  the  more  noticeable,  and  perhaps  these  con- 
tortions, with  the  violent  and  jerky  effect  of  the 
struggling  lines,  have  helped  the  idea  that  the  au- 
thor meant  to  make  what  he  imitated  ridiculous. 
But  besides  the  general  tendency  to  obscurity  at 
that  time  there  is,  in  this  case,  the  additional  ex- 
cuse of  lack  of  experience  in  poetical  composition, 
lack  of  ultima  manus,  and  the  problem  of  crowd- 

Patria  appears  to  Caesar  at  the  Rubicon  (I,  185  ff.),  the  shade 
of  Julia  tt-rrifies  the  sleeping  Pompey  (III,  9  ff.),  a  woman 
prophesies  the  course  of  the  war  (I,  673  ff.),  and  the  witch 
Erichtho  exercises  the  blackest  of  black  arts  for  the  benefit 
of  Pompey's  son  (VI,  507  ff.). 


*  \  K'-j  j^ 


O751S0 


38      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

ing  much  material  into  a  small  compass.  It  is 
also  more  than  likely  that  some  of  the  most 
desperate  difficulties  are  due  to  the  corruption  of 
the  text,  and  would  disappear  if  we  could  recover 
what  Petronius  really  wrote. 

The  most  independent  passage  in  the  poem, 
177-208,  is  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  least  suc- 
177-208  cessful.  The  author's  indebtedness 
here  is  not  to  other  poets,  but  to 
Livy,^  and  in  his  effort  to  adapt  to  his  purpose 
and  at  the  same  time  magnify  to  epic  proportions 
the  historian's  account  of  Hannibal's  crossing  of 
the  Alps  and  the  Apennines  —  which,  by  the  way, 
had  lost  their  terrors  by  Caesar's  time  —  he  has 
shown  pretty  clearly  that  clouds  and  mountain- 
peaks  were  not  favorable  to  the  flowering  of  his 
imagination.  Were  it  not  for  the  poetical  inde- 
pendence of  the  whole  paragraph,  the  crabbed 
Latin  and  tangled  meteorological  phenomena 
might  well  have  lent  color  to  the  burlesque 
theory.  The  parallel  description  by  Silius  Itali- 
cus  ^  forms  an  interesting  comparison.  The  work 
of  a  poet  as  much  more  tasteless  as  he  was 
more  ambitious,  it  not  only  equals  Petronius  in 

1  XXI,  35-36  and  58.     See  the  Notes. 

2  III,  500  ff.  and  547  S. ;    IV,  749  ff.     See  notes  on  187  ff. 
and  203. 


Introduction  39 

exaggeration,  but  leaves  him  far  behind,  telhng, 
for  instance,  how  the  broken  ice  amputated  the 
hmbs  of  those  who  fell,  and  then  was  melted  by 
their  blood. 

In  striking  contrast  to  this  florid  descriptive 
passage  is  that  immediately  preceding,^  contain- 
Caesar's  ing  Caesar's  speech  to  his  army.  Its 
speech  twenty  lines  are  perhaps  the  finest  in 

the  poem,  and  in  simplicity,  clearness,  and  dignity 
of  thought  and  expression  are  not  unworthy  of  the 
man  to  whom  they  are  assigned.  It  is  marked 
by  soldierly  brevity  and  a  strong  man's  modera- 
tion of  speech.  Caesar's  affection  for  his  soldiers 
and  his  absolute  confidence  in  them  are  revealed 
without  undue  protestation.  The  rewards  of  vic- 
tory and  the  penalty  of  inaction  —  the  possibility 
of  failure  is  not  considered  —  are  brought  out 
by  single  firm  touches.  The  only  thing  which  is 
not  in  keeping  is  the  scornful  reference  to  the 
Roman  plebs  (164-166).  This  is  doubly  inappro- 
priate, first,  as  it  makes  of  Caesar  a  reactionary 
of  the  school  of  the  Scipios;  and  second,  as  it 
throws  the  responsibility  for  the  war  on  the  peo- 
ple instead  of  on  the  Senatorial  oligarchy,  where 
it  belonged.  Petronius's  object,  of  course,  was 
merely  to  make  use  of  the  younger  Scipio's  sting- 

1 156-176. 


40      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

ing  retort  to  his  political  enemies/  and  after  more 
than  a  century,  during  which  Caesar  had  been 
canonized,  anathematized,  and  generally  misun- 
derstood, X/he  inaccuracy  is  pardonable.  The 
metrical  form  of  this  admirable  bit  of  rhetoric 
is  appropriately  measured  and  dignified,  lending 
special  effectiveness  to  the  two  lines  which  are 
allowed  four  dactyls  each 

dum  Gallos  iterum  Capitolia  nostra  petentes. 

161. 

representing  the  terrific  downward  sweep  of  the 
Gallic  invasion ;    and 

at  reor,  baud  impune,  nee  banc  sine  vindice  dextram 
vinciet  ignavus.  167  f. 

where  Caesar's  calmness  is  broken  for  a  moment 
by  the  thought  of  the  vindictive  injustice  of  his 
enemies.  The  whole  ends  with  a  line  finely  ex- 
pressive of  his  unshaken  confidence  in  the  out- 
come : 

inter  tot  fortes  armatus  nescio  vinci.^  176. 

Points  of  Examining  our  author's  style  more 

style  minutely,  we  notice  the  following  char- 

acteristics : 

Fondness  for  paradox  or  contrast : 

1  See  note  on  1.  166.  «  See  p.  58. 


Introduction  41 

detritaque  commoda  luxu 
vulneribus  reparantur.    inops  audacia  tuta  est. 

56  f. 
mimeribusque  meis  irascor.  108. 

\'incendo  certior  exul.  162. 

sanguine  Germane  sexagintaque  triumphis 
esse  nocens  coepi.  163  f. 

causam  dicite  ferro.  169. 

quia  poena  tropaeis 
imminet  et  sordes  meruit  \actoria  nostra.        172  f. 
gaudet  Roma  fuga.  224. 

praedamque  in  proelia  ducit.*  232. 

This  device  was,  of  course,  especially  popular  with 
the  Stoic  Seneca.  Used  in  moderation,  it  is  a 
highly  effective  means  of  setting  the  irony  of 
things  clearly  before  the  reader,  but  overdone 
it  soon  becomes  tiresome,  the  word-play  giving 
an  exaggerated  and  artificial  importance  to  the 
thought,  instead  of  the  thought  ennobling  the 
words.  Petronius,  however,  has  used  it  with  dis- 
cretion, and  in  Caesar's  speech  it  becomes  a 
powerful  means  of  bringing  out  the  injustice  of 
the  position  into  which  he  has  been  forced. 
Fondness  for  startling  and  novel  expressions : 

'  Cf.  Lucan,  I,  504:  in  helium  fugitur.  Examples  from 
the  Troiae  Halosis  (89)  :  ibat  iuventas  capta  dum  Troiam  capit, 
27.  iacet  sacerdoa  inter  aras  viclima,  51.  contraque  Troas 
invocat  Troiae  sacra,  G5. 


42      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

belua  dente 

ad  mortes  pretiosa.  15  f. 

fames  premit  advena  classes.  16. 
(mensa)  maculis  mutatur  villus  aurum.        29. 

ingeniosa  gula  est.  33. 

sitientis  .  .  .  artus.  97. 

nimbos  .  .  .  ligatos.     (i.e.  ice)  187. 

vincta  fluctus  stupuere  ruina.^  191 

This  tiresome  trick  arose  from  the  decay  of  true 
imagination  and  originality  and  the  pernicious 
training  of  the  schools  of  oratory,  with  their 
impossible  controversiae  and  suasoriae.^  Petronius 
the  novelist  laughed  at  them,^  but  Petronius  the 
poet  laid  aside  for  the  moment  his  splendid  sense 
of  humor  and  copied  —  though  not  in  their  most 
desperate  forms  —  the  foibles  of  his  serious- 
minded  contemporaries.^ 

Sententiae  are  few,  and  the  author  has  kept 
his  own  rule  ^  against  introducing  them  in  digres- 
sions.    One  is  woven  into  the  address  to  Fortuna: 

1  Examples  from  the  Troiae  Halosis; 

in  suo  voto  latent.  10. 

peritura  Troia  perdidit  primum  deos.  53. 

*  See  p.  8,  n.  1. 

3  Chs.  1-4.     See  p.  89  ff. 

*  His  own  words  (88,  6)  :  vitia  tantum  docemus  et  discimus, 
are  not  without  application  to  some  of  his  poetry. 

=  118,  5.     See  p.  1. 


Introduction  43 

Fors  cui  nulla  placet  nimium  secura  potestas, 

quae  nova  semper  amas  et  mox  possessa  relinquis.   80  f . 

Others  are  appended  as  tags  to  the  lines  which 
suggest  them  : 

inops  audacia  tuta  est.    -  57. 

hos  gloria  reddit  honores.  66. 

Colloquial  expressions  have  sometimes  been 
admitted  in  spite  of  the  poet's  ban.^  E.g.  the  use 
of  accersere,"  117,  158. 

esse  nocens  coepi.^  164. 

Legal  or  quasi-legal  expressions  are  : 

sine  vindice  praeda.  50. 

nullum  sine  pignore  corpus.  53. 

causam  dicite.    {ironical)  169. 

causa  peracta  est.  175. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  language  has  many  of  the 
characteristics  which  distinguish  poetry  from 
prose.     E.g. : 

The  free  use  of  verbs  and  adjectives  which 
practically  personify  the  noun  to  which  they 
belong  : 

»118,  4.     Seep.  1. 

*  Lucan  is  also  fond  of  this  word.     See  notes  to  158. 
'  Cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  X,  132  :   velle mori statuit.    Such  circumlocu- 
tions are  plebeian.     Cf.  the  redundant  tun  in  vulgar  German. 


44      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

(tellus)  hostis  erat.  6. 

ingeniosa  gula  est.  33. 

maiestas  auro  corrupta  iacebat.  44. 

hoc  mersam  caeno  Roman  somnoque  iacentem.  58. 

ira  rebellat.  105. 

lacerates  ducitur  orbis.  121. 

(tellus)  armis  laeta  meis.  157. 

non  pugnavit  humus.  186. 

consensu  .  .  .  timor.  246. 

terras  .  .  .  furentes.  247. 

lacerataque  tecta  rebellent.  287. 

Transferred  epithet : 

corruptis  miles  vagus  exstruit  armis.  32. 

Effect  for  cause  : 

rigido  .  .  .  flamine.  196. 

Zeugma : 
qua  mare  qua  terrae  qua  sidus  currit  utrumque.    2. 

bustorum  flammis  et  cana  sparsa  favilla.  77. 

Middle  passive  : 

tu  .  .  .  satiare  ruina.^  119. 

Frequent  use  of  possessive  pronouns :  e.g. 
sua  .  .  .  arva,  12 ;  mea  Tisiphone,  97 ;  mei 
comites,  169 ;  Caesaris  sui,  267.  These,  how- 
ever, are  never  superfluous,  but  always  have 
some  special  emotional  fitness.     See  the  Notes. 

1  See  note  on  mutatur,  29. 


Introduction  45 

Difficulties.  —  In  addition  to  the  obscurities 
already  mentioned,  the  poem  contains  some 
hnes  which,  in  spite  of  the  Latin  words,  hardly 
read  or  construe  as  Latin.     Such  are : 

hinc  Numidae  accusant,  illinc  nova  veUera  Seres 

atque  Arabum  populus  sua  despoliaverat  arva.  11  f. 

hunc  nive  dura 

claudit  hiems  canoque  ad  sidera  vertice  toUit/  146  f. 

pepulitque  meatibus  auras.  178. 

atque  hoc  Romano  tonitru  ferit  omnia  signa.  212. 

atque  inter  torto  laceratam  pectore  vestem.  276. 

The  difficulties  in  24-27  and  229-231  are  prob- 
ably due  to  the  corruption  of  the  text. 

In  sharp  contrast  with  the  ingenti  volubilitate 
verborum  of  his  prose,   Petronius  has  employed 

but  a  small  vocabulary  for  his  poem. 

He  was,  of  course,  obliged  to  dispense 
with  many  of  the  picturesque  expressions  which ^ 
lend  color  to  the  narrative,  and  does  not  seem  to 
have  had  a  sufficiently  large  store  of  voces  a  plehe 
semotae  to  replace  them.  Thus  there  is  much 
repetition.  Vincere  appears  a  dozen  times,  rein- 
forced by  victor  and  victoria,  quaerere  in  various 
senses  eight  times,  rumpere  (usually  the  past  par- 
ticiple) and  its  compounds  ten  times,  tellus  ten 
times,  pulsus  and  pulsatus  nine  times  together, 

'  See  Notes. 


46      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

orhis  six  times.     The  following  words  are  used 
from  three  to  five  times  each  :  ^ 

arx,  bella  (the  plural  by  preference),  clades, 
concretus,  corrumpere,  damnum,  efferre,  frangere, 
furere  and  furor,  horridus,  iacere,  incendia,  ingens, 
laetus,  late,  maerere,  mergere  and  compounds, 
orhis,  perdere,  and  perire,^  perfundere  and  other 
compounds  of  fundere,  personare,  and  persona, 
petere,  placere,  pondus,  potestas,  rebellare,  regnum, 
ruina,  sanguineus,  sanguis,  sidus,  solvere,  strepitus, 
sumere,  tritus,  and  detritus,  turma,  vertex,  vincire, 
vulnera,  vultus.  Besides  these  repetitions,  suh- 
missa  is  applied  to  the  waters  of  the  Bosporus  in 
242  and  to  Fides  in  252.  Fortuna  and  Fama  are 
both  volucer.^  The  world  distracted  by  civil 
strife,  the  garments  of  Discordia,  and  the  war- 
swept  tecta  are  all  lacerata.*  Gradiens  is  used  first 
of  the  caged  tiger  and  second  of  Discordia.^  The 
language  of  50 : 

ipsa  sui  merces  erat  et  sine  vindice  praeda. 

1  This  list  is  not  meant  to  be  exhaustive,  and  includes  only 
the  more  important  words  so  repeated.  Others  are  mentioned 
in  the  Notes. 

2  Especially  periturus.     See  note  to  19. 

3  78  and  210. 

*  121,  276,  287.  Cf.  anserem  laceratum  verubus  confixit, 
137,  12. 

" 17  and  279. 


Intkoduction  47 

is  recalled  in  another  connection  by  mercedibus 
emptae,  165,  followed  two  lines  below  (167)  by 
sine  vindice.  A  particular  weakness  is  the  repe- 
tition of  a  word  within  a  few  lines  but  in  a  dif- 
ferent connection,  and  where  there  is  nothing  to 
gain  by  it,  as  where  quaerere  occurs  five  times  in 
twenty-one  lines.^  Thus  we  find  eruta  (mensa), 
27 ;  eruta  .  .  ,  conchylia,  35.  Moles,  which 
stands  for  the  unwieldy  bulk  of  Rome  in  83  and 
109,  is  used  between  them,  in  91,  of  the  masses 
of  rock  excavated  from  the  earth.  Insolitae 
voces,  180,  is  followed  by  insolitos  .  .  .  ausus, 
184.2  jjj  ^i^Q  description  of  the  panic  at  Rome 
we  have  maerentia  tecta,  225,  and  maerentia  pec- 
tora,  229.  The  repetition  of  cerno,  111  and  114, 
has  a  purpose.  That  of  potestas,  79-80,  may  be 
intended  for  an  antithesis:  "Power  that  hatest 
power,"  but  the  effect  is  not  pleasing.^ 

A  comparison  of  the  Bellum  Civile  with  the 
rest  of  the  Satirae  will  show  that,  as  far  as  possible, 
Petronius  has  sunply  transferred  to  the  poem  his 
V  prose  vocabulary,  shorn  of  its  exuberances,  and 
augmented  by  a  few  new  terms.  Words  for 
which  he  shows  a  marked  fondness  in  one  part 

'  7,  10,  14,  24,  27. 

*  Cf.  ignihus  insolitis,  136  ;  Ch.  136,  6  :  planctibus  insolitis. 

'  For  a  similar  habit  of  Lucan's,  cf.  Hoitland,  op.  cit.  (47)  E. 


48      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

of  the  work  reappear  frequently  in  the  other. 
Thus  perfundere,  a  special  favorite,  occurs  in  the 
prose  no  less  than  twelve  times,  together  with 
other  compounds  of  fundere.  Accersere  ^  appears 
five  times ;  periturus  three  times  in  the  Bellum 
Civile  and  six  times  outside  of  it.^  Eruta,^  33,  4, 
and  vindicta*  95,  7  and  136,  7,  may  also  be  noted.^ 
There  is,  besides,  the  author's  characteristic  use 
of  male  to  indicate  that  an  act  or  condition  is 
unreal,  ineffectual,  incomplete,  or  unfortunate.® 
In  the  prose  : 

12,  1:  fidem  male  ambulantem. 

86,  4:  male  dormientis. 

87,  3 :  male  repugnanti. 
103,  6:  male  soporati. 

132,  8,  V.  3:  male  dabat  usum. 

Bellum  Civile: 

20 :  male  pubescentibus  annis. 
30:  male  nobile  lignum. 

1  See  p.  43. 

2  Cf.  p.  46,  n.  2.  Cf.  also  Fr.,  XXX,  13  (Buecheler)  :  aut 
premit  eversam  periturus  navita  puppem,  a  characteristically 
Petroiiian  line. 

3  Cf.  27  and  35.     See  preceding  paragraph. 
<Cf.  142. 

*  For  turbare,  see  on  30. 

6  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  735  ;  IV,  8  ;  Propert.,  IV,  6,  63  ;  Sen., 
Tro.,  548  ;   Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  314  f.  ;    Anth.  LaL,  I,  402. 


Introduction  49 

85:  male  sustinet. 
193 :  male  fida. 

This  double  use  of  his  vocabulary  is  made  pos- 
sible, not  only  by  the  comparatively  prosaic  tone 
of  the  verse,  but  also  by  the  tendency  of  the  char- 
acters in  his  romance  to  indulge  in  melodramatic 
rant  and  describe  their  sordid  doings  in  language 
filched  from  epic,  tragedy,  and  oratory.^  The 
resemblance  sometimes  passes  beyond  single 
words  to  whole  expressions.  Cf.  26,  7 :  tot 
vulneribus  confossis  fuga  .  .  .  placehat  ~  with  : 

oraque  mUle 
vulneribus  confossa.  259  f . 

1  E.g.  Made  virtute  esto,  94,  1.  In  101,  1,  Encolpius,  describ- 
ing his  emotions  on  finding  that  he  had  unwittingly  set  sail  in  his 
enemy's  ship,  says  :  "  intremui  post  hocfulmen  attonitus,  iugulo- 
que  detecto,  '  aliquando,  inquam,  totum  me,  Fortuna,  vicisti.' " 
Cf .  also  Eumolpus's  high-sounding  plea  for  peace,  108,  14.  The 
address  of  Encolpius  to  the  dead  Lichas,  115,  12  ff.,  beginning: 

ubi  nunc  est  iracundia  iuaf  "  is  surprisingly  like  much  that 
Hamlet  says  in  the  Graveyard  (V,  1).  Of  course  all  this  does 
not  make  the  Bellum  Civile  burlesque,  any  more  than  the  lyric 
outbursts  of  Pyramus  and  Thisbe,  or  the  fustian  of  Ancient 
Pistol  destroy  the  sincerity  of  Elizabethan  tragedy.  On  this 
comic  abuse  of  lofty  and  serious  language  in  the  Salirae,  see  the 
article  by  E.  Klebs,  Philologus,  n.  f.  1  (vol.  47,  1889),  p.  623  S. 
He  points  out  especially  a  vein  of  burlesque  analogies  to  the 
Odyssey  running  through  the  story. 

2  Also  one  of  the  author's  favorite  words.  Cf.  7,  25,  5G,  80, 
and  the  list,  p.  46. 

E 


50      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 


and  108,  7  :   turbam  diducit  in  'partes,  with  : 

omnis  regia  caeli 
in  partes  diducta  ruit.  265  f. 

.  vidam  manum  is  recalled 


111,  10  :    porrexit  . 
by: 

abscondit  .  .  .  victum  caput 


250. 


Parallels  from  the  other  poems  in  the  book  are  : 

Troiae  Halosis  Bellum  Civile 

14:  mens  ...  in    damna  censum  in  damna   furen- 

potens.  tern.                            86. 

33:  premunt  classes  mare,  fames  premit  .  .  .  classes. 

16. 

34:  pulsmnque   marmor  freta  pulsa  carinis.         3. 
.  .  .  gemit. 


56:  sepultos    Priamidas 

nocte  et  mero.^ 
62:  Bellumque   sumunt. 

Ch.  128,  6,  V.  4  : 
thesam-osque   rapit. 

Ch.  136,  6,  vv.  4-5  : 


turba  sepulta  mero.    31. 
snmite  beUmn.  174. 

thesaurosque  rapis?    292. 


An  echo  of  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  265  : 

invadunt  urbem  somno  vinoque  sepultam. 


Introduction  51 

tremuit  perterritus  aether 
planctibus  insolitis,  confusaque  regia  caeli. 

ignibus  insolitis  136. 

omnis  regia  caeli         265. 

Use  of  words.  —  The  following  points  may  be 
noted : 

triumphis,  157,  163;  acies,  156;  tropaeis,  172;  ovan- 
tem,  240;  are  all  used  by  metonymy  for  "battles," 
"  triumphs,"  "  victories,"  "  glory,"  with  a  vagueness  and 
a  free  interchange  of  meanings  which  is  quite  modern. 

Other  words  used  in  a  figurative  or  unusual 
sense  are : 

acta,  267,  "deeds"  (not  yet  done),  "enterprises." 

averti,  248,  "shun,"  "leave."  ^ 

concutere,  288,  "rouse,"  "excite." 

deploratus,  195,  227,  "abandoned,"  "lost." 

desolatus,  286,   "enfeebled,"   "deprived    of   strength." 

deprimere,  209,  "descend."  ^ 

fervere,  214,  "swarm."  ^ 

1  Cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill,  498  f. : 

immemor  herbae 
victor  ecus  fontisque  avertitur. 
and  Stat.,   Theh.,  VI,  192.     This  use  of  the  word  (as  also  of 
aversari.     Cf.  diroa-Tp^(pe<rdai)  becomes  more  and  more  frequent 
as  time  goes  on.     For  examples,  see  Thesaurus  Linguae  Latinae 
(Leipzig,  1900-). 

*  The  only  use  of  the  word  in  this  sense  that  I  have  been  able 
to  find. 

3  Common  in  poetry.    Cf.  Verg.,  vlen.,  I,  436  ;  IV,  407,  409, 
567. 


52      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

gaudere,  75,  "abound  in,";  224,  "give  oneself  up  to." 

geminus,  51,  111,  238  =  duo.     Common  in  poetry. 

laetior,  181,  "more  brilliant."  ^ 

mitis,  186,  "slight,"  "soft."    In  its  regular  sense,  247. 

obsessa,  275,  "covered  with,"  "surrounded  by"  (of  per- 
sonal appearance).^ 

peragere,  4,  "traverse."  ' 

personare,    177.    An   exaggerated   word   to   apply    to 
Caesar's  delivery  of  his  speech.     In  113: 

iam  fragor  armorum  trepidantes  personat  aures. 
it  is  more  appropriate.     This  straining  of  language 
was  a  plebeian  trait  which  worked  its  way  up  into 
literary  Latin.* 

premere,  16,  "weigh  heavy  on." 

sepulta,  31,  "dead  drunk."  ^ 

stare,  274,  "be  thick  with."  « 

strues,  62,  denotes  the  process  of  destruction.    In  195 
it  refers  to  the  result,  as  regularly. 

tumidus,  209,  "lofty,"  "huge."  '  198,  tumida  grandine, 
comes  nearer  the  Hteral  meaning,  "swollen." 


1  In  72  it  is  used  in  its  ordinary  tropical  sense,  as  in  laeta  seges. 
This  is  simply  a  further  extension  to  the  light  of  the  sun. 

2  Obsitus  is  more  common  in  this  sense. 

3  See  Notes. 

*  See  note  on  calcavit,  152. 

*  See  p.  50,  n.  1. 

6  Frequently  used  thus  in  poetry  of  something  conspicuous  or 
startling.     See  note  to  274. 

'Cf.  Ov.,  Am.,  II,  16,  5,  51  f . : 

at  vos,  qua  veniet,  tumidi  subsidite  montes 

et  faciles  curvis  vallibus  este,  viae. 


Introduction  53 

A    rare  word  used  by  Petronius  is  persona,^ 
'ringing  with,"  72. 
Unusual  expressions  are : 

incendia  ducit  139. 

omina  .  .  .  dedit^  178. 

incendia  portat  263, 

acta  .  .  .  ducit.  267. 


Syntax 


The  following  constructions  belong 
to  poetical,  colloquial,  or  late  Latin. 


Use  of  cases  : 

Genitive:  hoc  dedecoris  (sc.  est),  47. 
Dative:  rapuisse  Catoni,  46.     Instead  of   the  more 
usual  eripuisse. 

certaverat  ostro,^  10. 

dextrae  coniungere  dextram,*  100. 

Ablative. — As  is  common  in  poetry,  this  case 
appears  in  many  constructions  so  loose  as  to 
defy  the  ordinary  grammatical  classifications. 
The  Ablative  of  Place  without  a  preposition^  is 

'  Used  also  by  Val.  Flac,  IV,  418  :  ovanti  persona  sistro 
(active)  ;  and  Mamert.  Gratiarum  Actio,  x  :  lata  camporum 
balatu,  hinnitu,  mugitibiis  persona. 

'  See  Notes. 

'  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  107:  furit  aestus  harenis. 

*  See  Notes. 

*  E.g.  quaesitua  tellure  nitor,  10. 


54      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

so  frequent  in  the  poets  that  I  have  not  collected 
the  instances  of  its  use  here.  The  following  ex- 
tensions of  (a)  the  Instrumental,  and  (6)  the 
Ablative  of  Attendant  Circumstances,  are  worth 
noting : 

(a)  quaeritur  .  .  .  auro  fera,  14. 
auspiciis  patuere  deum,  127. 
fax  stellis  comitata,^  139. 
(by  ferali  circiim  tumulata  cupressu,  75. 
canoque  .  .  .  vertice  tollit,^  147. 
vincta  .  .  .  stupuere  ruina,  191. 
inter  torto  laceratam  pectore  vestem 
sanguineam  tremula  quatiebat  lampada  dextra. 

276  f. 
Prepositional  phrases : 

ad  mortes  pretiosa,  16. 
de  parte  sinistra,  179. 
in  .  .  .  bella  paratis,  6. 
in  damna  furentem,  86. 
nixus  in  hastam,  203. 
per  damna  renovare,  36. 
super  arma  cadebant,*  199. 

1  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  312  :   uno  .  .  .  comitatus  Achate, 

*  The  first  three  phrases  might  really  belong  to  either  di- 
vision. 

'  See  Notes. 

*  So    constantly    in    his    prose.     E.g.    consedit  .  .  .  super 
ectum,  9,  2  ;   candelabrum  .  .  .  super  mensam  eversum,  64,  10 ; 


Introduction  55 

Infinitive : 

sufficiet  .  .  .  traducere,  118. 

Subjunctive.  —  There  is  nothing  unusual  in 
Petronius's  use  of  this  mood,  but  his  fondness  for 
the  Ideal  Second  Person  is  noticeable.  In  the 
poem  we  find  putares,  129  and  190  putes,  148. 
In  the  prose  he  is  constantly  appealing  to  his 
audience  with  putares,  putes,  scires,  and  crederes. 

Trampe,  in  his  dissertation  ^  on  the  versification 
of  Lucan,  claims  that  Petronius  has  made  his 
Prosody,  hexameters  Vergiliani,  non  Lucaniani, 
^*^-  with  the  intention  of  criticizing  Lucan's 

manner  as  well  as  his  matter.  He  supports  this 
by  an  analysis  of  the  poet's  usage  in  the  matter  of 
verse-endings,  elisions,  pauses,  etc.  To  the  reader, 
however,  these  verses  are  utterly  un-Vergilian  in 
their  effect,  and  resemble  those  of  Lucan  in 
many  points,  especially  defects.  Nor  does  this 
seem  unnatural  when  one  reflects  that  Petronius, 
evidently  not  a  poet  either  by  instinct  or  by 
long  practice,  wrote  his  poem  with  the  Pharsalia 
vividly  before  his  mind.^     It  is  but  another  case 


me  .  .  .  praecipitat  super  lectum,  94,  9 ;  anumque  .  .  .  deiec- 
tam  super  foculum  mittit,  136,  1. 

*  De  Lucani  Arte  Metrica  (Berlin  1884),  p.  78. 

«  See  p.  27  ff. 


56      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

of  vitia  tantum  .  .  .  disdmus}  Like  Lucan,  Petro- 
nius  has  wrought  his  verses  with  a  heavy  hand. 
They  are  correct  and  vigorous,  but  monotonous 
and  often  unmusical,  and  create  an  impression  of 
having  been  hammered  out  with  careful  regard  to 
the  fundamental  rules,  but  without  much  feeling 
for  subtler  effects  or  perception  of  the  variety  of 
treatment  which  might  be  achieved  within  them. 
In  the  following  notes  I  have  endeavored  to  point 
out  their  most  striking  characteristics  and  also 
the  chief  points  of  resemblance  to  Lucan.^ 

Pauses.  —  Like  Lucan,  Petronius  is  fond  of 
pauses  after  the  strong  penthemimeral  and  hep- 
themimeral  caesuras,  repeating  them  until  the 
cadence  becomes  insistent  and  tiresome,  e.g.  : 

3:  nee  satiatus  erat.  36:    ut       renovent      per 

damn  a  famem. 

4:  iam  peragebantur.  90:  en  etiam  mea   regna 

petunt. 

7:  quaerebantur  opes.  117:    atque    animas     ac- 

cerse  novas. 

11:  hinc  Numidae  accu-  127:  auspiciis  patuere 
sant.  deum. 

27:  quaeque  virum  quae-  135:  sideribus  tremefacta 
runt.  ciet. 

1  See  p.  42,  n.  4. 

2  For  the  salient  points  of  Lucan's  versification,  see  Heitland, 
op.  cit.  (49). 


Introduction  57 

More  Vergilian  is  his  fondness  for  the  pause  after 
the  bucoUc  diaeresis,  which  we  find  in  nearly  seven 
per  cent  of  the  fines,  e.g.  : 

31:  turba  sepulta  mero  circum  venit,  omniaque  orbis. 
34 :  ad  raensam  vivns  perducitur,  atque  Lucrinis. 
131:  et  lucem  sceleri  subduxit.     rupta  tonabant. 
132:  verticibus  lapsis  montis  iuga,  nee  vaga  passim. 
272 :  extulit  ad  superos  Stygium  caput,     huius  in  ore. 
289 :  Curio,  tu  fortem  ne  supprime,  Lentule,  Martem. 
292 :  thesaurosque  rapis  ?  nescis  tu,  Magna,  tueri.^ 

Rhythm.  —  The  great  defect  here,  as  in  Lucan, 
is  want  of  variety.  Take,  for  example,  the  speech 
of  Fortuna,  103-121.  The  same  metrical  com- 
binations are  repeated  over  and  over  again. 
There  are  also  a  few  lines  which  are  positively 
unpleasant : 

50:  ipsa  sui  merces  erat  et  sine  vindice  praeda. 
195:  armaque  congesta  strue  deplorata  iacebant. 
258:  quas  inter  Furor,  abruptis  ceu  liber  habenis. 

In  the  proportion  of  dactyls  to  spondees,  Petro- 
nius  keeps  carefully  to  a  middle  course,  with  an 
evident  preference  for  slowness  of  movement. 
There  are  in  the  whole  poem  only  eight  lines  of 
five  dactyls  each  ^  which  serve  to  accelerate  the 

'  In  131  and  292  this  pause  is  preceded  by  a  spondee. 
*3,  12,  33,  42,  115,  136,  178,  272. 


58      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

ordinarily  staid  progress  of  the  verse,  e.g. : 

Actiacosque  sinus  et  ApoUinis  arma  timentes,      115. 

depicts  the  tumult  and  melee  of  the  battle. 

iamque  Aetna  voratur 
ignibus  insolitis  et  in  aethera  fulmina  mittit.      136. 

omina  laeta  dedit  pepulitque  meatibus  auras.        178. 

and  : 

extulit  ad  superos  Stygium  caput:  huius  in  ore.  272. 

produce  the  same  impression  of  swift  motion. 
Contrasting  with  these  eight  lines  there  are  six- 
teen which  contain  but  one  dactyl  apiece.^  Their 
slow  and  stately  movement  is  effective  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  poem : 

orbem  iam  totum  victor  Romanus  habebat.  1. 

and  of  the  solemn  remonstrance  addressed  by  Dis 
to  Fortuna : 

rerum  humanarum  divinarumque  potestas.  79. 

It  also  closes  Caesar's  speech  : 

inter  tot  fortes  armatus  nescio  vinci.  176. 


1  1,  38,  58,  77,  79,  82,  93,  101,  128,  171,  176,  187,  261,  274, 
291,  295. 


Introduction  59 

and  the  entire  poem  : 

factum  est  in  terris  quicquid  Discordia  iussit.    295. 
Outside  of  these  the  most  notable  cases  are  : 

solae  desertis  adspirant  frondibus  aurae.  38. 

expressing    the    lonehness    of    the     bird-deserted 
Phasis ; 

hoc  mersam  caeno  Romam  somnoque  iacentem.  58. 

of  the  helplessly  mired  and  wallowing  city  ; 

ecquid  Romano  sentis  te  pondere  victam  ?  82. 

of  the  crushing  weight  with  which  she  bore  upon 
others ; 

deformis  Titan  \'ultum  caligine  texit.  128. 

of  the  eclipse  of  the  sun,  and  : 

stabant  aerati  scabra  rubigine  dentes.  274. 

enforcing  the  repulsive  picture  of  Discordia. 

Sameness  in  the  endings  of  lines  is  also  notice- 
able. There  are  no  monosyllabic  endings/  and 
the  only  ones  which  are  at  all  abnormal  are  pro- 


'  This  does  not  take  into  account  endings  like  ille  est,  45, 
where  there  is  an  elision. 


60      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

spexit  et  amhas,  154,  and  quern  ter  ovantem,  240. 
To  these  may  be  added  a  single  spondaic  line  : 

alta  petit  gradiens  iuga  nobilis  Appennini.'     279. 

which  is  also  the  only  one  in  the  poem  ending 
with  a  word  of  more  than  three  syllables.  This 
extreme  uniformity  is  made  all  the  more  evi- 
dent by  Petronius's  fondness  for  repeating  some 
of  his  verse-endings.  Potestas  occurs  four  times 
in  this  position,^  Martem  three  times,^  dehiscit, 
putares,  triumphis,  and  furentes  twice  each ;  * 
160  closes  with  sanguine  tinguo;  and  294  with 
sanguine  tingue. 

Hiatus  does  not  occur. 

Final  assonance  is  found  only  once  :  potestas 
.   .  .  potestas,  79-80.^ 

Metrical  licenses.  —  The  only  ones  which  Pe- 
tronius allows  himself  are  belua  as  a  trisyllable, 

*  Appenninus  as  a  verse-ending  is  used  repeatedly  by  the 
poets.  Cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  II,  226  ;  Lucan,  II,  396  ;  Pers.,  I,  95  ; 
Sil.  Ital.,  II,  314;  IV,  744.  Of  Ovid's  line  Haupt  says: 
"  Der  spondeische  Versausgang  beschliesst  die  lange  Aufzdhlung 
mit  aushallendem  Klange."     Cf.  also  Lucan,  I,  689  : 

nubiferae  colles  atque  aeriam  Pyrenen. 
243,  48,  79,  80. 
3  134,  158,  289. 

*  90,  254 ;  129,  190 ;  157,  163 ;  168,  247,  respectively. 
86  ends  with  furentem. 

^See  p.  47. 


Introduction  61 

15;  Catd,4:5;  and  Cwno/ 289 ;  mt'/iT,  104;  and  tibl, 
105;  fervere,'  214. 

Elision  is  rather  sparingly  used,  though  more 
frequently  than  in  the-  Pharsalia,^  about  one  case 
to  every  four  lines.  Of  these  nearly  one  third  are 
elisions  of  -que,  and  so  of  little  importance.  There 
are  no  hypermetric  syllables.  The  lines  in  which 
Petronius  has  made  the  freest  and  most  effective 
use  of  elision  are  : 

nee  posse  ulterius  perituram  extoUere  molem.  83. 

luxuriam  spoliorum  et  censum  in  damna  furentem.  86. 
classe  opus  est.     tuque  ingenti  satiare  ruina.  119. 

in  all  of  which  there  are  double  elisions,  an  un- 
conmion  thing  in  the  poem.  The  best  instance 
of  all  is  the  description  of  the  fiends  crowding  up 
from  Hades  : 

emergit  late  Ditis  chorus,  horrida  Erinys, 

et  Bellona  minax,  facibusque  armata  Megaera, 

Letmnque  insidiaeque  et  lurida  Mortis  imago. 

255-257. 


1  So  also  Lucan.     With  Curio's  name  it  is  a  metrical  neces- 
sity. 

2  Cf.   Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  456  ;    Aen.,  IV,  409,  567.     Varro,  Sat. 
Menipp.,  Desultorius  :   fervere  piratis  vastarique  omnia  circum. 

^Winbolt,  Latin  Hexameter  Verse  (London,   1903),  p.   182, 
estimates  one  elision  to  6^  lines  for  Lucan. 


62      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Alliteration    is    used    continually,    but    rather 
weakly.     The  best  instances  are : 

fres  fulerat  Fortuna  duces,  quos  obruit  omnes.  61. 

qui  /urit  ef/usus,  /unesto  spargitur  aestu.  70. 

aedificant  auro  sedesque  ad  sidera  mittunt.  87. 

Actiacosque  sinus  et  Apollinis  arma  timentes.  115. 
qualis  Caucasea  decurrens  arduus  arce 

Amphittyoniades.  205  f. 
hie  vehit  im23rudens,  praedamque  in  proelia  ducit.  232. 

Pax  prima  ante  alias  niveos  pulsata  lacertos.  249. 

vulneribus  confossa  cruenta  casside  velat.  260. 

Metrical  treatment  of  repeated  words.  —  Another 

characteristic  of  the  author's  hammering  method 

is  the  intentional  repetition  of  words  in  the  same 

line  or  in  succeeding  lines,  a  device  effective  in 

moderation,  but  wearisome  when  often  employed. 

When    the    emphasis    is    strongest,  the  metrical 

treatment  is  identical.     Thus  Caesar  says  to  his 

men : 

vie  tores  ite  furentes, 

ite  mei  comites.  168  f. 

and  Discordia  shrieks  : 

sumite  nunc  gentes  accensis  mentibus  arma, 

sumite  ^  et  in,  etc.  283  f. 


1  There  is  here  the  slight  difference  caused  by  elision  in  one 
place. 


Introduction  63 

201  f. : 

vida  1  erat  ingenti  tellus  nive  vidaque  cseli 
sidera,  vida  suis  haerentia  flumina  ripis. 

lead  up  to  the  climax,  nondum  Caesar  erat,  203. 
Again,  similar  and  different  treatment  are  com- 
bined : 

tu  legem,  Marcelle,  tene.  tu  concute  plebem 

Curio,  tu  fortem  ne  supprime,  Lentule,  Martem. 

quid  porro  tu,  Dive,  tuis  cunctaris  in  armis  ?     288-290. 

In  45  f .  two  pairs  of  words  and  two  kinds  of  treat- 
ment are  combined  : 

pellitur  a  populo  vidus  Cato;  tristior  ille  est 
qui  vicit,  fascesque  pudet  rapuisse  Catoni. 

So  also  in  170  : 

namque  omnes  unum  crimen  vocat,  omnibus  una. 

Finally,  a  single  important  word  is  repeated,  with 
similar  position  in  each  clause,  but  with  different 
metrical  treatment : 

venalis  populus,  venalis  Curia  patrum.  41. 

tester,  ad  has  acies  invitum  accersere  Martem, 
invitas  me  ferre  manus.  158  f. 

'  There  is  here  the  slight  difference  caused  by  elision  in  one 
place. 


64      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Moessler/  with  the  German  passion  for  law 
and  order,  has  raised  a  question  as  to  the  relations 
Dis  For-  of  ^^^'  Fortuna,  and  Discordia  to  each 
tuna,  and     other  and  to  the  opening  of  the  poem. 

Discordia       tx      n      ^  •  •   j.  i_    j.  j.i 

He  nnds  an  mconsistency  between  the 
account  given  in  1-60  of  the  tendencies  which 
were  making  for  civil  war  and  the  later  appearance 
of  Fortuna.  '^Quum  Fortuna  caussa  alicuius  rei 
declaratur,  nullus  locus  est  aliis  caussis."  He  con- 
cludes that  Petronius  has  constructed  a  double 
narrative,  part  mythological,  part  historical,  with 
two  independent  chains  of  causation.  But  he  still 
seems  troubled  by  the  question  of  precedence  be- 
tween Dis  and  Fortuna,  and  by  the  fact,  as  he  says, 
that  Discordia  merely  repeats  what  has  already 
been  told  in  the  historical  portion  of  the  poem. 
The  true  explanation  of  Petronius's  system  —  if,  in- 
deed, he  had  one  —  seems  to  be  about  as  follows  : 
The  civil  war  which  we  see  preparing  in  1-60  is 
the  design  of  Fate,  whose  power  has  degraded  the 
Romans  past  all  hope  of  mild  remedy.^  But  Fate 
often  leaves  the  execution  of  even  the  highest 
decrees  to  lesser  powers,  and  grants  them  con- 
siderable liberty  in  the  matter  of  details.  So  in 
61  we  find  Fortuna  sending  Pompey,  Caesar,  and 

1  De  Petronii  Poemate  de  Bello  Civili,  p.  61  ff. 

2  See  note  on  1.  6.     Cf.  also  58-60. 


Introduction  65 

Crassus  upon  the  earth,  and  then  abandoning 
them  to  the  Erinys.  In  the  next  passage  Dis 
rises  and  summons  her.  He  speaks,  not  in 
command,  but  in  remonstrance,  pleading  for 
a  renewal  of  bloodshed  to  refresh  himself  and 
his  agent  Tisiphone.  When  he  speaks  of  the 
insane  extravagance  and  luxury  of  the  Romans, 
he  does  not,  as  Moessler  says,  mean  that  they 
are  the  cause  of  his  action,  but  merely  that 
they  furnish  a  justification  of  his  demands. 
Fortuna,  in  a  tone  of  authority,  grants  his 
prayer.^ 

Si  modo  vera  mihi  fas  est  impune  profari.         104. 

is  an  admission  of  the  supreme  dominion  of  Fate, 
but  within  that  limit  she  is  herself  supreme.  Even 
Jupiter  merely  falls  in  with  her  plans.  His  light- 
nings, which  terrify  his  brother,  make  no  im- 
pression on  her  except  as  aids.  The  other  gods 
now  second  Jupiter  with  portents  which  announce 
clades  hominum  venturaque  damna  (126),  and 
Caesar,  with  characteristic  energy,  forms  his 
resolution  and  acts  on  it  at  once.  Portents  con- 
tinue to  encourage  him  amid  the  difficulties  of 
his   march.     Meanwhile   Fama    fills   Rome   with 


'  vota  tibi  cedent,  105.     destruet  istas  .  .  .  et  mihi  cordi, 
108  f. 


66      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

an  exaggerated  account  of  what  is  happening,  and 
Consuls,  Senate,  and  people  promptly  lose  their 
heads,  even  Pompey  fleeing  before  the  fickle  god- 
dess who  had  so  long  been  his  "dear  lady."  ^ 
The  gods  themselves  are  next  swept  into  the  vor- 
tex. The  spirits  of  goodness  and  peace  flee  from 
the  earth,  while  the  powers  of  darkness  rise  to 
bear  their  part  in  the  coming  destruction.  The 
greater  gods  divide  to  the  opposing  camps  accord- 
ing to  their  sympathies.  It  is  now  Discordia's 
turn  to  appear.  She  does  not  really,  as  Moess- 
ler  thinks,  repeat  what  has  already  been  said. 
The  incidental  information  supplied  by  her 
words  brings  out  details  which  had  not  yet  been 
made  clear.  But  her  chief  duty  is  to  give  the 
signal  for  the  struggle,  to  hark  on  Roman  against 
Roman,  and  divide  the  world  against  itself.  She, 
too,  speaks  in  a  tone  of  authority,  but  as  we  know 
her  to  be  one  of  the  servants  of  Dis,  who  had 
not  been  able  to  precipitate  the  war  himself, 
it  is  plain  that  she  is  merely  acting  under 
orders.  Fortuna,  like  the  mightier  Fate,  has 
announced  her  will  and  then  left  Hs  execution  to 
subordinates. 
The  best  account  of  the  traces  of  Petronius  to 

1  Cf .  243  f. 


Introduction  67 

be  found  in  later  writers  is  contained  in  Collig- 
Rerainis-  non's  Petroue  en  France,  running  through 
ccnces  of  the  entire  book.  Comparatively  few  of 
Civile  in  them  relate  to  the  Bellum  Civile.  Heiric, 
Medieval  however,  of  the  monastery  at  Auxerre, 
from  which  came  the  present  Codex 
Bernensis,^  has  introduced  some  striking  imitations 
into  his  Vita  Sancti  Germani  (about  876)  : 

I,  20 :  -  perparva  et  vilia  scitu 

si  qua  patent  usquam:   cara  et  praegrandia 

censet 
si  qua  latent. 
24  :       orbem  iam  totum  victor  Romanus  habebat, 
qua   mare,    qua   tellus,    qua   cardo   invergit 

uterque. 
si  quod  in  orbe  fretum,  si  quis  sinus  abditus 

usquam, 
si  quod  clima  fores  Phoebeae  lampadis  expers, 
si  qua  fuit  regio,  fulvum  quae  gigneret  aurum, 
nil  nisi  Romani  vivebat  nominis  umbra. 
V,  131  :     hinc  subit  aerias  meritis  sublimior  Alpes. 

Other  less  striking  resemblances  will  be  found 
in  Bueehelcr,  Ed.  Maior,  Praefatio,  p.  xi,  and 
CoUignon,  Petrone  en  France,  Introd.,  p.  7  f. 

•  See  p.  247, 

*  The  references  are  to  book  and  paragraph,  according  to 
J.  P.  Migne,  Patrologiae Cursus  Completiis  (Paris,  1879),  Vol.  124. 


68      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Vincent  de  Beauvais/  in  his  Speculum  His- 
toriale,  XX,  25,  attributes  to  Petronius,  Bishop 
of  Bologna,^  a  number  of  fragments,  both  prose 
and  verse,  culled  from  our  author,  beginning 
with  : 

quid  faciant  leges  ubi  sola  pecunia  regnat  ?  (Ch.  14,  2.) 

Towards  the  end  we  read  : 

ingeniose  gula  est.  (33.) 
ad  praedam  strepitumque  lucri  suffragia  vertunt.    (40.) 

venalis  populus,  venalis  curia  patrum  (41.) 

ipsaque  maiestas  auro  corrupta  iacebit.  (44.) 
quaerit  se  natura  nee  invenit.     omnibus  ergo 
scorta  placent  fractique  nervi  serpere  gressus 

et  laxi  crines  et  tot  nova  nomina  vestis.  (24-26.) 

Guillaume  le  Breton,^  Philippis,  II,  44,  has  the 
line  : 

iudice  Fortuna  bellum  committere  vellet.  Cf.  174. 

Jean  de  Montreuil,^  Epp.,  14 :  ut  inquiit  Aufra- 
nius :  ^    scorta    placent    fractique    enervi    cor  pore 

1  Thirteenth  century. 

2  De  quodam  libro  Petronii  partim  metrico,  pariim  prosaico, 
pauca  hiiec  moralia,  quae  sequuntur,  excerpta  notavi. 

5  Thirteenth  century. 
^ 1354-1418. 

'  Afranius,  the  author  of  togatae.  So  Scaliger's  Ms.  (see.  p. 
246)  calls  our  author  C.  Petronius  Arbiter  Afranius. 


Introduction  69 

gressus,  et  laxi  crines  et  tot  nova  nomina  vestis 
quaeque  virum  quaerunt  iurha  sepulta  mero  cir- 
curnvenit.  est  favor  in  precio  senibusque  libera 
virtus  excidit  omnibus  una  impendet  clades  arma 
cruor  caedes  incendia  totaque  bella  ante  oculos 
volitant} 

Sarrasin's  Guerre  Espagnole  (Paris,  1675)  is 
imitated  from  the  Bellum  Civile. 

The  Editio  Princeps  of  Petronius  was  published 
at  Milan,  by  Franciscus  Puteolanus,  1482.  The 
-r<j-.-  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  saw 

and  many  more  editions,  the  eighteenth  and 

transla-  nineteenth  a  rapidly  decreasing  number 
of  them.  Full  lists  may  be  found  in 
the  prefaces  to  the  editions  of  Burmann,  Anton, 
the  Bipontine  Society,  and  Collignon,  Petrone  en 
France.  Only  the  oldest  and  most  recent  editions 
and  some  of  the  most  important  which  intervene 
are  given  here: 

Vitales,  Venice,  1499. 

H.  Busch,  Leipzig,  1500  and  1508.  Bellum  Civile  alone, 
1500. 

R^gnault-Chaudi^re,  Paris,  1520. 

J.  Wouwercn  (Wouwerius),  Amsterdam,  1524;  Ley- 
den,  1596,  1604,  1624. 

'  Cf.  11.,  25-27,  31,  42  f.,  170  f.,  215  f. 


70      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Sambucus,  Vienna,  1564;   Antwerp,  1565. 

Tornaesius  (Jean  de  Tournes),  Lyons,  1575. 

Pithoeus  (P.  Pithou),  Paris,  1577,  15S9.  Published  by 
Mamert  Patisson. 

Ed.  Lugd.  Batavorum,  loannis  Paetsii,  Leyden,  1583. 

J.  Dousa,  Leyden,  1585. 

Frellon,  Lyons,  1608,  1615. 

G.  Erhard  (M.  Goldast),  Frankfort,  1610. 

Bourdelot,  Paris,  1618,  1645. 

Gabbema,  Utrecht,  1654. 

Hadrianides,  Amsterdam,  1669. 

Burmann,  Utrecht,  1709,  1743.  Part  II  contains  the 
prefaces  and  commentaries  of  many  of  the  earher 
scholars,  some  of  whom  did  not  pubhsh  editions. 

Reiske,  Leipzig,  1748. 

C.  G.  Anton,  Leipzig,  1781. 

Ed.  Societatis  Bipontinae,  Zweibriicken,  1790. 

De  Guerle,  Paris,  1834. 

Buecheler,  Ed.  Maior,  Berlin,  1862 ;  Ed.  Minor,  1882, 
1886,  1895. 

Many  translations  of  the  Satirae,  in  whole  and  in 
part,  have  been  made,  but  the  versions  of  the 
Bellum  Civile  are  generally  very  free.  Three  of 
the  most  available  are  :  De  Guerle,  Paris,  1798, 
1816,  1834  {Collection  Pankoucke),  1861  ;  Bail- 
lard  (in  Nisard,  Collection  des  auteurs  latins 
(Paris,  1856),  v.  14)  ;  H.  Wagner  (English),  Lon- 
don, 1873. 


Introduction  71 


PARALLEL  PASSAGES 

PETRONIUS  AND  LUCAN 

Petronius,  1-60,  82-89. 
Lucan,  I,  158  ff. : 

hae  ducibus  causae  suberant:   sed  publica  belli 
semina,  quae  populos  semper  mersere  potentis. 
namque,  ut  opes  mundo  nimias  fortuna  subacto 
intulit  et  rebus  mores  cessere  secundis 
praedaque  et  hostiles  luxum  suasere  rapinae  : 
non  auro  tectisque  modus  :   mensasque  priores 
aspernata  fames  :   cultus  gestare  decoros 
vix  nuribus  rapuere  mares  :  fecunda  virorum 
paupertas  fugitur  ;   totoque  accersitur  orbe 
quo  gens  quaeque  perit.  167 

inde  irae  faciles  ;   et  quod  suasisset  egestas        173 

vile  nefas  ;   magnumque  decus  ferroque  petendum 

plus  patria  potuisse  sua  ;   mensuraque  iuris 

vis  erat :   hinc  leges  et  plebescita  coactae, 

et  cum  consulibus  turbantes  iura  tribuni : 

hinc  rapti  fasces  pretio  sectorque  favoris 

ipse  sui  populus,  letalisque  ambitus  urbi, 

annua  venali  referens  certamina  Campo  : 

hinc  usura  vorax  avidumque  in  tempora  faenus 

et  concussa  fides  et  multis  utile  bellum. 


72      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Petronius,  1-2. 

Lucan,  I,  110.     (populi  potentis  fortuna): 

quae  mare  quae  terras  quae  totum  continet  orbem. 

VII,  423^25: 
haud  multum  terrae  spatium  restabat  Eoae 
ut  tibi  nox  tibi  tota  dies  tibi  curreret  aether 
omniaque  errantes  stellae  Romana  viderent. 

Cf.  also  the  movement  of  X,  155  f.     (See  under 
31  ff.) 

Petronius,  14-16. 
Lucan,  I,  41-43: 

his,    Caesar,    Perusina    fames    Mutinaeque    la- 
bores 
accedant  f atis ;  et  quas  premit  aspera  classes 
Leucas. 

IX,  706  f . : 
sed  quis  erit  nobis  lucri  pudor?     inde  petuntur 
hue  Libycae  mortes  et  fecimus  aspida  mercem. 

Petronius,  21. 

Lucan,  X,  133  f.     (Cleopatra's  slaves) : 
nee  non  infelix  ferro  mollita  iuventus 
atque  exsecta  virum. 

Petronius,  27-29. 


Introduction  73 

Lucan,  IX,  426-430: 

tantum  Maurusia  genti 
robora  divitiae  quarum  non  noverat  usum, 
sed  citri  contenta  comis  vivebat  et  umbris. 
in  nemus  ignotum  nostrae  venere  secures, 
extremoque  epulas  mensasque  petivimus  orbe. 

X,  144  f.: 

dentibus  hie  niveis  sectos  Atlantide  silva 
imposuere  orbes. 

Petronius,  31  ff. 
Lucan,  IV,  373-376: 

o  prodiga  rerum 
luxuries  numquam  parvo  contenta  paratu, 
et  quaesitorum  terra  pelagoque  ciborum 
ambitiosa  fames  et  lautae  gloria  mensae. 

X,  155  ff.  (wealth  of  Egypt) : 
infudere  epulas  auro,  quod  terra  quod  aer 
quod  pelagus  Nilusque  dedit,  quod  luxus  inani 
ambitione  furens  toto  quaesivit  in  orbe 
non  mandante  fame. 

Petronius,  41. 

Lucan,  IV,  816-818: 

perdita  tunc  urbi  nocuerunt  saecula,  postquam 

ambitus  et  luxus  et  opum  metucnda  facultas 

transverso  mentem  dubiam  torrente  tulerunt. 


74      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Petronius,  50. 

Lucan,  II,  655  f. : 

ipsa  caput  mundi  belloruin  maxima  merces, 

Roma  capi  facilis. 

Petronius,  51. 
Lucan,  I,  181 : 
hinc  usura  vorax  avidumque  in  tempora  faenus. 

Petronius,  63. 
Lucan,  VIII,  698  ff.: 

litora  Pompeium  feriunt  truncusque  vadosis 
hue  illuc  iactatur  aquis?     adeone  molesta 
totum  cura  fuit  socero  servare  cadaver  ?  700 

hac  Fortuna  fide  Magni  tarn  prospera  fata 
pertulit :   hac  ilium  summo  de  culmine  rerum 
morte  petit,  cladesque  omnes  exegit  in  uno 
saeva  die  quibus  inmiunes  tot  praestitit  annos  : 
Pompeiusque  fuit  qui  numquam  mixta  videret  705 
laeta  malis  :   felix  nullo  turbante  deorum, 
et  nullo  parcente  miser,     semel  impulit  ilium 
dilata  Fortuna  manu.     pulsatur  harenis, 
carpitur  in  scopulis,  hausto  per  vulnera  fluctu, 
ludibrium  pelagi :    nullaque  manente  figura      7io 
una  nota  est  Magno  capitis  iactura  revolsi. 
ante  tamen  Pharias  victor  quam  tangat  harenas 
Pompeio  raptim  tumulum  Fortuna  paravit, 
ne  iaceat  nullo,  vel  ne  meliore  sepulcro. 


Introduction  75 

Also  I,  685  f.     (See  on  111-115  below.) 

Petronius,  64. 

Lucan,  X,  338  f. 

dignatur  Pharias  isto  quoque  sanguine  dextras 

quo  Fortuna  parat  victos  perfundere  patres. 

Also  I,  691.     (See  on  111-115  below.) 

Petronius,  65  f. 

Lucan,  VI,  817  f .  (Erichtho  to  Sextus  Pompeius) : 
Europam,  miseri,  Libyamque  Asiamque  timete  : 
distribuit  tumulos  vestris  Fortuna  triumphis. 

Petronius,  75. 

Lucan,  111,442: 

et  non  plebeios  luctus  testata  cupressus. 

Petronius,  79-81. 

Lucan,  I,  510  f. ; 

o  faciles  dare  summa  deos  eademque  tueri 

difficiles. 

II,  12  f.: 
sive  nihil  positum  est  sed  Fors  incerta  vagatur 
fertque  refertque  vices  et  habet  mortalia  casus. 

Petronius,  82-86. 

Lucan,  I,  3.     (populum) : 

in  sua  victrici  conversum  viscera  dextra. 


76      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

I,  70-72: 
invida  fatorum  series,  summisque  negatum 
stare  diu  ;   nimioque  graves  sub  pondere  lapsus 
nee  se  Roma  ferens. 

1,81: 
in  se  magna  ruunt. 

Petronius,  95-99. 

Lucan,  VI,  718  (Erichtho  to  the  powers  of  the  Un- 
derworld) : 
si  bene  de  vobis  civilia  bella  merentur. 

Petronius,  98  f. 

Lucan,  I,  330  f. : 

sic  et  Sullanum  solito  tibi  lambere  ferrum, 

durat,  Magne,  sitis. 

VII,  317: 

quanto  satiavit  sanguine  ferrum  ! 

VII,  851  f .  (Pharsalus) : 
quae  seges  infecta  surget  non  decolor  herba? 
quo  non  Romanos  violabis  vomere  manes  ? 

865: 

surgentem  de  nostris  ossibus  herbam. 

Petronius,  111-115. 

Lucan,  I,  679-694  (the  frenzied  matron) : 

video  Pangaea  nivosis 
cana  iugis  latosque  Haemi  sub  rupe  Philippos.  680 


Introduction  77 

quis  furor  hie,  o  Phoebe,  doce  :  quo  tela  manusque 
Romanae  miscent  acies  bellumque  sine  hoste  est  ? 
quo  diversa  feror  ?    primos  me  ducis  in  ortus 
qua  mare  Lagei  mutatur  gurgite  Nih. 
hunc  ego  fluminea  deformis  truncus  harena        685 
qui  iacet  agnosco  :   dubiam  super  aequora  Syrtin 
arentemque  feror  Libyen  quo  tristis  Erinys 
transtulit  Emathias  acies.     nunc  desuper  Alpis 
nubiferae  colles  atque  aeriam  Pyrenen 
abripimur.     patriae  sedes  remeamus  in  urbis     690 
impiaque  in  medio  peraguntur  bella  senatu. 
consurgunt  partes  iterum  totumque  per  orbem 
rursus  eo.     nova  da  mihi  cernere  litora  Ponti 
telluremque  novam.     vidi  iam,  Phoebe,  Phihppos. 

Petronius,  116-121. 

Lucan,  III,  14  ff .  (the  vision  of  Juha) : 

vidi  ipsa  tenentis 
Eumenidas  quaterent  quas  vestris  lampadas  armis  : 
praeparat  innumeras  puppes  Acheruntis  adusti 
portitor :    in  multas  laxantur  Tartara  poenas. 
vix  operi  cunctae  dextra  properante  sorores 
sufficiunt :   lassant  rumpentis  stamina  Parcas. 

Petronius,  126-140. 
Lucan,  I,  522-583: 

turn  ne  qua  futuri 
spes  saltern  trepidas  mentes  levet  addita  fati 


78      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

peioris  manifesta  fides  superique  minaces 

prodigiis  terras  implerunt  aethera  pontum.         526 

ignota  obscurae  viderunt  sidera  noctes, 

ardentemque  polum  flammis,  caeloque  volantis 

obliquas  per  inane  faces,  crinemque  timendi 

sideris  et  terris  mutantem  regna  cometen. 

fulgura  fallaci  micuerunt  crebra  sereno.  530 

et  varias  ignis  denso  dedit  aere  formas  : 

nunc  iaculum  longo  nunc  sparso  lumine  lampas 

emicuit  caelo.     taciturn  sine  nubibus  ullis 

fulmen  et  Arctois  rapiens  e  partibus  ignem 

percussit  Latiale  caput :   stellaeque  minores       535 

per  vacuum  solitae  noctis  decurrere  tempus 

in  medium  venere  diem  :   cornuque  coacto 

iam  Phoebe  toto  fratrem  cum  redderet  orbe 

terrarum  subita  percussa  expalluit  umbra. 

ipse  caput  medio  Titan  cum  ferret  Olympo        540 

condidit  ardentis  atra  caligine  currus 

involvitque  orbem  tenebris,  gentesque  coegit 

desperare  diem  :   qualem  fugiente  per  ortus 

sole  Thyesteae  noctem  duxere  Mycenae. 

ora  ferox  Siculae  laxavit  Mulciber  Aetnae  ;        545 

nee  tulit  in  caelum  flammas  sed  vertice  prono 

ignis  in  Hesperium  cecidit  latus.     atra  Charybdis 

sanguineum  fundo  torsit  mare,  fiebile  saevi 

latravere  canes.    Vestali  raptus  ab  ara 

ignis  ;   et  ostendens  confectas  flamma  Latinas  550 


Introduction  79 

scinditur  in  partes  geminoque  cacumine  surgit 
Thebanos  imitata  rogos.     turn  cardine  tellus 
subsedit,  veteremque  iugis  nutantibus  Alpes 
discussere  nivem.     Tethys  maioribus  undis 
Hesperiam  Calpen  summumque  implevit 

Atlanta.  555 

compositis  plenae  gemuerunt  ossibus  urnae.       668 
turn  fragor  armorum  magnaeque  per  avia  voces 
auditae  nemorum,  et  venientes  comminus  umbrae, 
quique  colunt  iunctos  extremis  moenibus  agros 
diffugiunt :   ingens  urbem  cingebat  Erinys 
excutiens  pronam  flagranti  vertice  pinum 
stridentisque  comas.  674 

:):  4:  4=  N^  ^  =i= 

insonuere  tubae  et  quanto  clamore  cohortes      678 
miscentur  tantum  nox  atra  silentibus  umbris 
edidit :   et  medio  visi  consurgere  Campo 
tristia  Sullani  cecinere  oracula  manes  : 
tollentemque  caput  gelidas  Anienis  ad  undas 
agricolae  fracto  Marium  fugere  sepulcro.  583 

II,  1-4: 
iamque  irae  patuere  deum  manifestaque  belli 
signa  dedit  mundus  :  legesque  et  foedera  rerum 
praescia  monstrifero  vertit  natura  tumultu 
indixitque  nefas. 


80      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Petronius,  137  f. 

Lucan,  VI,  623: 

auribus  incertimi  feralis  strideat  umbra. 

VII,  179  f . : 

defunctosque  patres  et  cunctas  sanguinis  umbras 
ante  oculos  volitare  suos. 

Petronius,  152-154, 

Lucan,  I,  183-185: 

iam  gelidas  Caesar  cursu  superaverat  Alpes, 

ingentesque  animo  motus  bellumque  futurum 

ceperat. 

Petronius,  156-176. 

Lucan,  1, 195-203  (Caesar  to  the  vision  at  the  Ru- 
bicon) : 
mox  ait :    o  magnae  qui  moenia  prospicis  urbis 
Tarpeia  de  rupe  Tonans  Phrygiique  penates 
gentis  luleae  et  rapti  secreta  Quirini 
et  residens  celsa  Latiahs  luppiter  Alba 
Vestalesque  foci  summique  o  numinis  mstar 
Roma  fave  coeptis  :    non  te  furialibus  armis 
persequor  :    en  adsum  victor  terraque  marique 
Caesar  ubique  tuus,  liceat  modo,  nunc  quoque, 

miles, 
ille  erit  ille  nocens  qui  me  tibi  fecerit  hostem. 


Introduction  81 

299-351  (speech  at  Ariminum) : 
bellorum,  o  socii,  qui  mille  pericula  Martis 
mecum,  ait,  experti  decinio  iam  vincitis  anno,   300 
hoc  cruor  Arctois  meruit  diffusus  in  arvis, 
vulneraque    et    mortes    hiemesque    sub    Alpibus 

actae  ? 
non  secus  ingenti  bellorum  Roma  tumultu 
concutitur  quam  si  Poenus  transcenderet  Alpes 
Hannibal,     implentur  valido  tirone  cohortes.     305 
in  classem  cadit  omne  nemus  :   terraque  marique 
iussus  Caesar  agi.     quid  ?  si  mihi  signa  iacerent 
Marte  sub  adverso  ruerentque  m  terga  feroces 
Gallorum  populi  ?    nunc,  cum  Fortuna  secundis 
mecum  rebus  agat,  superique  ad  summa  vocantes 
temptamur.     veniet  dux  longa  pace  solutus      3ii 
milite  cum  subito  partesque  in  bella  togatae 
JMarcellusque  loquax  et  nomina  vana  Catones. 
scilicet  extremi  Pompeium  emptique  clientes 
continuo  per  tot  sociabunt  tempora  regno?       316 
****** 

post  Cilicasne  vagos  et  lassi  Pontici  regis  336 

proelia  barbarico  vix  consummata  veneno 
ultima  Pompeio  dabitur  provincia  Caesar  ? 
quod  non  victrices  aquilas  deponere  iussus 
paruerim?  mihi  si  merces  erepta  laborum  est   34 o 
his  saltem  longi  non  cum  duce  praemia  belU 
reddantur  :    miles  sub  quolibet  iste  triumphet. 


82      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

conf eret  exsanguis  quo  se  post  bella  senectus  ? 
quae  sedes  erit  emeritis  ?   quae  rura  dabuntur 
quae  noster  veteranus  aret  ?   quae  moenia  f essis  ? 
an  melius  fient  piratae,  Magne,  coloni  ?  346 

toUite  iampridem,  victricia  tollite  signa  : 
viribus  utendum  est  quas  fecimus  :  arma  tenenti 
omnia  dat  qui  iusta  negat :   nee  numina  deerunt. 
nam  nee  praeda  meis  neque  regnum  quaeritur 
armis,  350 

detrahimus  dominos  urbi  servire  paratae. 

VII,  250-329  (before  Pharsalus) : 
o  domitor  mundi,  rerum  fortuna  mearum, 
miles,  adest  totiens  optata  copia  pugnae. 
nihil  opus  est  votis ;   iam  fatum  accersite  ferro. 
in  manibus  vestris,  quantus  sit  Caesar,  habetis. 
haec  est  ilia  dies  mihi  quam  Rubiconis  ad  undas 
promissam  memini,  cuius  spe  movimus  anna,    255 
in  quam  distulunus  vetitos  remeare  triumphos. 
haec  eadem  est  hodie  quae  pignora  quaeque  pe- 

nates 
reddat,  et  emerito  faciat  vos  Marte  colonos. 
haec  fato  quae  teste  probet,  quis  iustius  arma 
sumpserit :    haec  acies  victum  factura  nocentem 

est.  260 

si  pro  me  patriam  ferro  flammisque  petistis 
nunc  pugnate  truces  gladiosque  exsolvite  culpa, 
nulla  manus  belli  mutato  iudice  pura  est. 


Introduction  83 

non  mihi  res  agitur,  sed  vos  ut  libera  sitis 
tiirba  precor,  gentes  ut  ius  habeatis  in  omnes.  265 
ipse  ego  privatae  cupidus  me  reddere  vitae, 
plebeiaque  toga  modicum  componere  civem. 
omnia  dum  vobis  liceant  nihil  esse  recuso. 
invidia  regnate  mea.     nee  sanguine"  multo 
spem  mundi  petitis  :   Graiis  deleeta  iuventus     270 
g}Tnnasiis  aderit  studioque  ignava  palaestrae, 
et  vix  arma  ferens,  et  mixtae  dissona  turbae 
barbaries  ;    non  ilia  tubas  non  agmine  moto 
clamoren  latura  suum.     civilia  paucae  274 

bella  manus  facient :    pugnae  pars  magna  levabit 
his  orbem  populis  Romanumque  obteret  hostem. 
ite  per  ignavas  gentes  famosaque  regna 
et  primo  ferri  motu  prosternite  mundum  : 
sitque  palam  quas  tot  duxit  Pompeius  in  urbem 
curribus  unius  gentes  non  esse  triumphi.  280 

Armeniosne  movet  Romana  potentia  cuius 
sit  ducis?    aut  emptum  minimo  vult  sanguine 

quisquam 
barbarus  Hesperiis  Magnum  praeponere  rebus? 
Romanos  odere  omnes  dominosque  gravantur; 
quos  novere,  magis.     sed  me  Fortuna  meorum 
commisit  manibus,  quorum  me  Gallia  testem 
tot  fecit  bellis.     cuius  non  militis  ensem  287 

agnoscam?    caelumque  tremens  cum  lancea  tran- 
sit, 


84      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

dicere  non  fallar  quo  sit  vibrata  lacerto. 
quod  si  signa  ducem  numquam  fallentia  vestrum 
conspicio  faciesque  truces  oculosque  minaces,     291 
vicistis.     videor  fluvios  spectare  cruoris 
calcatosque  simul  reges,  sparsumque  senatus 
corpus,  et  immensa  populos  in  caede  natantis.  294 

aut  merces  hodie  bellorum  aut  poena  paratur  :  303 
Caesareas  spectate  cruces  spectate  catenas, 
et  caput  hoc  positum  rostris  ejffusaque  membra, 
Septorumque  nefas,  et  clausi  proelia  Campi. 
cum  duce  Sullano  gerimus  civilia  bella. 
vestri  cura  movet :   nam  me  secura  manebit 
sors  quaesita  manu  :   fodientem  viscera  cernet 
me  mea  qui  nondum  victo  respexerit  hoste.        3io 
(The  speech  continues  to  329.) 

I,  225-227  (after  crossing  the  Rubicon) : 
hie,  ait,  hie  pacem  temerataque  iura  rehnquo, 
te,    Fortuna,    sequor.     procul   hinc    iam   foedera 

sunto. 
credidimus  fatis.     utendum  est  iudice  bello. 

Petronius,  160. 

Lucan,  VII,  473: 

primaque  ThessaUam  Romano  sanguine  tinxit. 

Petronius,  164  f. 


Introduction  85 

Lucan,  I,  288  f .  (Curio  to  Caesar) : 

livor  edax  tibi  cuiicta  negat :   gentesque  subactas 

vix  impune  feres. 

Petronius,  209-244. 
Lucan,  I,  466-522: 

Caesar  ut  immensae  collecto  robore  vires 
audendi  maiora  fidem  fecere,  per  omnem 
spargitur  Italiam  vieinaque  moenia  complet. 
vana  quoque  ad  veros  accessit  fama  timores 
irrupitque  animos  populi  clademque  futuram    470 
intulit  et  velox  properantis  nuntia  belli 
innumeras  solvit  falsa  in  praeconia  linguas. 
est  qui  tauriferis  ubi  se  Mevania  campis 
explieet  audaces  ruere  in  certamina  turmas 
adferat,  et  qua  Nar  Tiberino  illabitur  amni      475 
barbaricas  saevi  discurrere  Caesaris  alas  : 
ipsum  omnes  aquilas  collataque  signa  ferentem 
agmine  non  uno  densisque  incedere  castris. 
nee  qualem  meminere  vident :   maiorque  ferusque 
mentibus  occurrit  victoque  immanior  hoste.       480 
hunc  inter  Rhenum  populos  Alpesque  iacentis 
finibus  Arctois  patriaque  a  sede  revolsos 
pone  sequi,  iussamque  feris  a  gentibus  urbem 
Romano  spectante  rapi.     sic  quisque  pavendo 
dat  vires  famae  :   nulloque  auctore  malorum     485 
quae  finxere  timent.     nee  solum  volgus  inani 
perculsum  terrore  pavet :   sed  curia  et  ipsi 


86      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

sedibus  exsiluere  Patres  invisaque  belli 
consulibus  fugiens  mandat  decreta  Senatus.       489 
turn  quae  tuta  petant  et  quae  metuenda  relinquant 
incerti,  quo  quemque  fugae  tulit  impetus  urgent 
praecipitem  populum,  serieque  haerentia  longa 
agmina  prorumpunt.     credas  aut  tecta  nefandas 
corripuisse  faces  aut  iam  quatiente  ruina 
nutantis  pendere  domos  :  sic  turba  per  urbem  495 
praecipiti  lymphata  gradu,  velut  unica  rebus 
spes  foret  adflictis  patrios  excedere  muros, 
inconsulta  ruit.     qualis,  cum  turbidus  Auster 
reppulit  a  Libycis  immensum  Syrtibus  aequor 
fractaque  veliferi  sonuerunt  pondera  mali,  500 

desilit  in  fluctus  deserta  puppe  magister 
navitaque  et  nondum  sparsa  compage  carinae 
naufragium  sibi  quisque  facit :    sic  urbe  relicta 
in  bellum  fugitur.     nullum  iam  languidus  aevo 
evaluit  revocare  parens  coniunxve  maritum     505 
fletibus  aut  patrii  dubiae  dum  vota  salutis 
conciperent  tenuere  Lares  :   nee  limine  quisquam 
haesit  et  extreme  tum  forsitan  urbis  amatae 
plenus  abit  visu  :   ruit  irrevocabile  vulgus. 
o  faciles  dare  summa  deos  eademque  tueri         510 
difSciles  !   urbem  populis  victisque  frequentem 
gentibus  et  generis  coeat  si  turba  capacem 
humani  facilem  venture  Caesare  praedam 
ignavae  liquere  manus.  6i4 


Introduction  87 

tu  tantum  audito  bellorum  nomine,  Roma         5i9 
desereris  ;   nox  una  tuis  non  credita  muris. 
danda  tamen  venia  est  tantorum  danda  pavorum, 
Pompeio  fugiente  timent.  522 

(Here  follows  the  catalogue  of  portents  quoted 
on  126-140  above.) 

Petronius,  214. 
Lucan,  VII,  699: 

spumantis  caede  catervas.^ 

Petronius,  216. 

Lucan,  VII,  180: 

ante  oculos  volitare  suos. 

Petronius,  225. 
Lucan,  V,  30  f . : 

maerentia  tecta 
Caesar  habet  vacuasque  domos. 

Petronius,  235-237. 
Lucan,  VII,  125-127: 

ut  victus  violento  navita  Cauro 
dat  regimen  ventis,  ignavumque  arte  relicta 
puppis  onus  trahitur. 

Petronius,  264. 

Lucan,  1,  56-58: 

aetheris  immensi  partem  si  presseris  unam 

1  See  p.  29. 


88      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Peteonius 

sentiet  axis  onus,     librati  pondera  caeli 
orbe  tene  medio. 

Petronius,  276. 

Lucan,  VII,  568: 

sanguineum  veluti  quatiens  Bellona  flagellum.^ 

Petronius,  280  f.^ 
Lucan,  VII,  649-651 : 

stetit  aggere  campi 
eminus,  unde  omnes  sparsas  per  Thessala  rura 
adspiceret  clades  quae  bello  obstante  latebant. 

Petronius,  291. 
Lucan,  II,  443  f . : 

non  tam  portas  intrare  patentis 
quam  fregisse  iuvat. 

Petronius,  294.      (See  on  160.) 

With  Troiae  Halosis  (Ch.  89),  4-6  : 

caesi  vertices 
Idae  trahuntur  scissaque  in  molem  cadunt 
robora. 

Cf.  Lucan,  I,  306: 
in  classem  cadit  omne  nemus. 

»Cf.  Verg.,  ^en.,  VIII,  703: 

quam  cum  sanguineo  sequitur  Bellona  flagello. 
*  See  214  above  and  note. 


Introduction  89 

PETRONII  SATIRAE 

1.  'num  alio  genere  furiarum  declamatores 
inquietantur,  qui  clamant:  "haec  vulnera  pro 
libertate  publica  excepi ;  hunc  oculum  pro  vobis 
impendi :  date  mihi  ducem,  qui  me  ducat  ad  liberos 
meos,  nam  succisi  poplites  membra  non  susti- 
nent  ?  "  haec  ipsa  tolerabilia  essent,  si  ad  eloquen- 
tiam  ituris  viam  facerent.  nunc  et  rerum  tumore 
et  sententiarum  vanissimo  strepitu  hoc  tantum 
proficiunt,  ut  cum  in  forum  venerint,  putent  se  in 
alium  orbem  terrarum  delates,  et  ideo  ego  adu- 
lescentulos  existimo  inscholis  stultissimos  fieri,  quia 
nihil  ex  his,  quae  in  usu  habemus,  aut  audiunt  aut 
vident,  sed  piratas  cum  catenis  in  litore  stantes,  sed 
tyrannos  edicta  scribentes,  quibus  imperent  filiis 
ut  patrum  suorum  capita  praecidant,  sed  responsa 
in  pestilentiam  data,  ut  virgines  tres  aut  plures 
immolentur,  sed  mellitos  verborum  globulos  et  om- 
nia dicta  factaque  quasi  papavere  et  sesamo  sparsa. 
2.  qui  inter  haec  nutriuntur,  non  magis  sapere 
possunt,  quam  bene  olere,  qui  in  culina  habitant, 
pace  vestra  liceat  dixisse,  primi  omnium  eloquen- 
tiam  perdidistis.  levibus  enim  atque  inanibus 
sonis  ludibria  quaedam  excitando  effecistis,  ut 
corpus  orationis  enervaretur  et  caderet.  non- 
dum  iuvenes  declamationes  continebantur,  cum 
Sophocles  aut  Euripides  invenerunt  verba  quibus 


90      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

deberent  loqui.  nondum  umbraticus  doctor  in- 
genia  deleverat,  cum  Pindarus  novemque  lyrici 
Homericis  versibus  canere  timuerunt.  et  ne 
poetas  [quidem]  ad  testimonium  citem,  certe 
neque  Platona  neque  Demosthenen  ad  hoc  genus 
exercitationis  accessisse  video,  grandis  et  ut  ita 
dicam  pudica  oratio  non  est  maculosa  nee  tur- 
gida,  sed  naturali  pulchritudine  exsurgit.  nuper 
ventosa  istaec  et  enormis  loquacitas  Athenas  ex 
Asia  commigravit  animosque  iuvenum  ad  magna 
surgentes  veluti  pestilenti  quodam  sidere  afflavit, 
semelque  corrupta  regula  eloquentia  stetit  et  ob- 
mutuit.  ad  summam,  quis  postea  Thucididis, 
quis  Hyperidis  ad  famam  processit  ?  ac  ne  carmen 
quidem  sani  coloris  enituit,  sed  omnia  quasi  eodem 
cibo  pasta  non  potuerunt  usque  ad  senectutem 
canescere.  pictura  quoque  non  alium  exitum 
fecit,  postquam  Aegyptiorum  audacia  tam  magnae 
artis  compendiariam  invenit.' 

3.  non  est  passus  Agamemnon  me  diutius 
declamare  in  porticu  quam  ipse  in  schola  suda- 
verat,  sed  '  adulescens '  inquit  '  quoniam  sermonem 
babes  non  publici  saporis  et,  quod  rarissimum  est, 
amas  bonam  mentem,  non  fraudabo  te  arte  se- 
creta.  nihil  nimirum  in  his  exercitationibus 
doctores  peccant,  qui  necesse  habent  cum  in- 
sanientibus  furere.     nam  nisi  dixerint  quae  adu- 


Introduction  91 

lescentuli  probent,  ut  ait  Cicero,  "soli  in  scholis 
relinquentur."  sicut  [ficti]  adulatores  cum  cenas 
divitimi  captant,  nihil  prius  meditantur  quam  id 
quod  putant  gratissimum  auditoribus  fore  :  nee 
enim  aliter  iinpetrabunt  quod  petunt,  nisi  quasdam 
insidias  auribus  fecerint :  sic  eloquentiae  magis- 
ter,  nisi  tamquam  piscator  earn  imposuerit  hamis 
escam,  quam  scierit  appetituros  esse  pisciculos, 
sine  spe  praedae  morabitur  in  scopulo. 

4.  quid  ergo  est?  parentes  obiurgatione  digni 
sunt,  qui  nolunt  liberos  suos  severa  lege  proficere. 
primum  enim  sic  ut  omnia,  spes  quoque  suas 
ambitioni  donant.  deinde  cum  ad  vota  prope- 
rant,  cruda  adhuc  studia  in  forum  pellunt  et 
eloquentiam,  qua  nihil  esse  mains  confitentur, 
pueris  induunt  adhuc  nascentibus.  quod  si  pa- 
terentur  laborum  gradus  fieri,  ut  studiosi  iuvenes 
lectione  severa  irrigarentur,  ut  sapientiae  prae- 
ceptis  animos  componerent,  ut  verba  atroci  stilo 
effoderent,  ut  quod  vellent  imitari  diu  audirent, 
ut  persuaderent  sibi  nihil  esse  magnificum,  quod 
pueris  placeret :  iam  ilia  grandis  oratio  haberet 
maiestatis  suae  pondus.  Nunc  pueri  in  schoHs  lu- 
dunt,  iuvenes  ridentur  in  foro,  et  quod  utroque 
turpius  est,  quod  quisque  perperam  didicit,  in 
senectute  confiteri  non  vult.' 


92      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

88.   erectus  his  sermonibus  consulere  pruden- 
tiorem  coepi  .  .  .  aetates  tabularum  et  quaedam 
argumenta  mihi  obscura  simulque  causam  desidiae 
praesentis  excutere,  cum  pulcherrimae  artes  peris- 
sent,   inter    quas   pictura   ne   minimum    quidem 
sui  vestigium  reliquisset.     tum  ille  'pecuniae'  in- 
quit  '  cupiditas  haec  tropica  instituit.     priscis  enim 
temporibus,  cum  adhuc  nuda  virtus  placeret,  vige- 
bant  artes  ingenuae  summumque  certamen  inter 
homines  erat,   ne  quid  profuturum  saecuHs  diu 
lateret.     itaque  herbarum  omnium  sucos  Democ- 
ritus  expressit,  et  ne  lapidmn  virgultorumque  vis 
lateret,    aetatem   inter   experimenta   consumpsit. 
Eudoxos  [quidem]  in  cacumine  excelsissimi  mon- 
tis  consenuit,  ut  astrorum  caelique  motus  depre- 
henderet,  et  Chrysippus,  ut  ad  inventionem  suffi- 
ceret,   ter  elleboro  animum  detersit.     vervmi  ut 
ad   plastas   convertar,    Lysippum   statuae   unius 
lineamentis  inhaerentem  inopia  extinxit,  et  My- 
ron, qui  paene  animas  hominum  ferarumque  aere 
comprehenderat,   non   invenit   heredem.     at   nos 
vino  scortisque  demersi  ne  paratas  quidem  artes 
audemus  cognoscere,  sed  accusatores  antiquitatis 
vitia  tantum  docemus  et  discimus.     ubi  est  dia- 
lectica?    ubi  astronomia?    ubi  sapientiae  cultis- 
sima  via?    quis  umquam  venit  in  templum  et 
votum  fecit,  si  ad  eloquentiam  pervenisset  ?  quis, 


Introduction  93 

si  philosophiae  fontem  attigisset?  ac  ne  bonam 
quidem  mentem  aut  bonam  valetudinem  petimt, 
sed  statim  antequam  limen  Capitolii  tangant, 
alius  doniim  promittit,  si  propinquum  divitem 
extulerit,  alius,  si  thesaurum  effoderit,  alius,  si  ad 
trecenties  sestertium  salvus  pervenerit.  ipse  se- 
natus,  recti  bonique  praeceptor,  mille  pondo  auri 
Capitolio  promittere  solet,  et  ne  quis  dubitet 
pecuniam  concupiscere,  lovem  quoque  peculio 
exornat.  noli  ergo  mirari,  si  pictura  defecit,  cum 
omnibus  diis  hominibusque  formosior  videatur 
massa  auri,  quam  quicquid  Apelles  Phidiasque, 
Graeculi  delirantes,  fecerunt.  89.  Sed  video  te 
totum  in  ilia  haerere  tabula,  quae  Troiae  halosin 
ostendit.     Itaque  conabor  opus  versibus  pandere  : 

iam  decima  maestos  inter  ancipites  metus 

Phrygas  obsidebat  messis  et  vatis  fides 

Calchantis  atro  dubia  pendebat  metu, 

cum  Delio  profante  caesi  vertices 

Idae  trahuntur  scissaque  in  molem  cadunt  6 

robora,  minacem  quae  figurarent  equum. 

aperitur  ingens  antrum  et  obducti  specus, 

qui  castra  caperent.     hue  decenni  proelio 

irata  virtus  abditur,  stipant  graves 

Danai  recessus,  in  suo  voto  latent.  10 

o  patria,  pulsas  mille  credidimus  rates 


94      The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

solumque  bello  liberum  :    hoc  titulus  fero 
incisus,  hoc  ad  furta  compositus  Sinon 
firmabat  et  mens  semper  in  damnum  potens. 

iam  turba  portis  libera  ac  bello  carens  15 

in  vota  properat.     fletibus  manant  genae 
mentisque  pavidae  gaudimn  lacrimas  habet, 
quas  metus  abegit,     Namque  Neptuno  sacer 
crinem  solutus  omne  Laocoon  replet 
clamore  vulgus.     mox  reducta  cuspide  20 

utermn  notavit,  fata  sed  tardant  manus, 
ictusque  resilit  et  dolis  addit  fidem. 
iterum  tamen  confirmat  invalidam  manum 
altaque  bipenni  latera  pertemptat.     fremit 
captiva  pubes  intus,  et  dum  murmurat,  25 

roborea  moles  spirat  alieno  metu. 
ibat  inventus  capta,  dum  Troiam  capit, 
bellumque  totum  fraude  ducebat  nova. 

ecce  alia  monstra  :    celsa  qua  Tenedos  mare 
dorso  replevit,  tumida  consurgunt  freta  30 

undaque  resultat  scissa  tranquillo  minor, 
qualis  silenti  nocte  remorum  sonus 
longe  refertur,  cum  premunt  classes  mare 
pulsumque  marmor  abiete  imposita  gemit. 
respicimus  :   angues  orbibus  geminis  ferunt         35 
ad  saxa  fluctus,  tumida  quorum  pectora 
rates  ut  altae  lateribus  spumas  agunt. 
dat  Cauda  sonitum,  liberae  ponto  iubae 


Inteoduction  95 

consentiunt  luminibus,  fulmineum  iubar 

incendit  aequor  sibilisque  undae  fremunt.  40 

stupuere  mentes.     infiilis  stabant  sacri 

Phrygioque  cultu  gemina  nati  pignora 

Lauconte.     quos  repente  tergoribus  ligant 

angues  corusci.     parvulas  illi  manus 

ad  ora  referunt,  neuter  auxilio  sibi,  45 

uterque  fratri :    transtulit  pietas  vices 

morsque  ipsa  miseros  mutuo  perdit  metu. 

acciunulat  ecce  liberum  funus  parens, 

infirmus  auxiliator.     invadunt  virum 

iam  morte  pasti  membraque  ad  terram  trahunt.  50 

iacet  sacerdos  inter  aras  victima 

terramque  plangit.     sic  profanatis  sacris 

peritura  Troia  perdidit  primum  deos. 

iam  plena  Phoebe  candidum  extulerat  iubar 
minora  ducens  astra  radianti  face,  55 

cum  inter  sepultos  Priamidas  nocte  et  mero 
Danai  relaxant  claustra  et  effundunt  viros. 
temptant  in  armis  se  duces,  ceu  ubi  solet 
nodo  remissus  Thessali  quadrupes  iugi 
cervicem  et  altas  quatere  ad  excursum  iubas.       60 
gladios  retractant,  commovent  orbes  manu 
bellumque  sumunt.     Hie  graves  alius  mero 
obtruncat  et  continuat  in  mortem  ultimam 
somnos,  ab  aris  alius  accendit  faces 
contraque  Troas  invocat  Troiae  sacra.*  C5 


PETRONII   SATIRAE 

118.    'multos/  inquit  Eumolpus  '  o  iuvenes  car- 
men decepit.     nam  ut  quisque  versum  pedibus 
instruxit  sensmnque  teneriorem  verborum  ambitu 
intexuit,  putavit  secontinuoinHeliconemvenisse. 
sic  forensibus  ministeriis  exercitati  frequenter  ad  2 
carminis    tranquillitatem    tamquam  ad  portum 
feliciorem  refugerunt,   credentes  facilius  poema 
exstrui  posse,  quam  controversiam  sententiolis 
vibrantibus   pictam.     ceterum  neque  generosiora 
spiritus    vanitatem  amat,  neque  concipere  aut 
edere  partum  mens  potest    nisi  ingenti  flumine 
litterarum  inundata.     refugiendum  est  ab  omni  4 
verborum,  ut  itadicam,  vilitateetsumendae  voces 
aplebe  semotae,  utfiat  "odi  profanum  vulgus  et 
arceo."     praeterea  curandum  est,  ne  sententiaes 
emineant  extra  corpus  orationis  expressae,  sed 
intexto  versibus  colore  niteant.     Homerus  testis 
et  lyrici  Romanusque  Vergilius  et  Horatii  curiosa 
felicitas.     ceteri  enim  aut  non  viderunt  viam,  qua 
iretur  ad  carmen,  aut  visam  timuerunt  calcare. 
ecce  belli  civilis  ingens  opus  quisquis  attigerit,  6 
nisi  plenus  litteris,  sub  onere  labetur.     non  enim 
res  gestae  versibus  comprehendendae  sunt,  quod 
96 


Petronii  Bellum  Civile  97 

longe  melius  historici  faciunt,  sed  per  ambages 
deorumque  ministeria  et  fabulosum  sententia- 
rum  tormentum  praecipitandus  est  liber  spiritus, 
ut  potius  furentis  animi  vaticinatio  appareat 
quam  religiosae  orationis  sub  testibus  fides : 
tamquam  si  placet  hie  impetus,  etiam  si  nondum 
recepit  ultimam  manum.' 

119.    'orbem  iam   totum  victor  Romanus  ha- 
bebat, 
qua  mare,  qua  terrae,  qua  sidus  currit  utrumque. 
nee  satiatus  erat.     gravidis  freta  pulsa  carinis 
iam  peragebantur ;   si  quis  sinus  abditus  ultra, 
si  qua  foret  tellus,  quae  fulvum  mitteret  aurum,  5 
hostis  erat,  fatisque  in  tristia  bella  paratis 
quaerebantur  opes,     non  vulgo  nota  placebant 
gaudia,  non  usu  plebeio  trita  voluptas. 
aes  Ephyreiacum  laudabat  miles  in  unda  ; 
quaesitus  tellure  nitor  certaverat  ostro  ;  lo 

hinc  Numidae  accusant,  illinc  nova  vellera  Seres, 
atque  Arabum  populus  sua  despoliaverat  arva. 
ecce  aliae  clades  et  laesae  vulnera  pacis  : 
quaeritur  in  silvis  auro  fera,  et  ultimus  Hammon 
Afrorum  excutitur,  ne  desit  belua  dente  is 

ad  mortes  pretiosa  ;   fames  premit  advena  classes, 
tigris  et  aurata  gradiens  vcctatur  in  aula, 
ut  bibat  humanum  populo  plaudente  cruorem. 


98  Petronii  Bellum  Civile 

heu,  pudet  effari  perituraque  prodere  fata, 
Persarum  ritu  male  pubescentibus  annis  20 

surripuere  viros  exsectaque  viscera  ferro 
in  venerem  fregere,  atque  ut  fuga  mobilis  aevi 
circumscripta  mora  properantes  differat  annos, 
quaerit  se  natura  nee  invenit.     omnibus  ergo 
scorta  placent  fractique  enervi  corpore  gressus    25 
et  laxi  crines  et  tot  nova  nomina  vestis, 
quaeque  virum  quaerunt.     ecce  Afris  eruta  terris 
ponitur  ac  maculis  mutatur  vilius  aurum  29 

citrea  mensa   greges   servorum   ostrumque    reni- 
dens,  28 

quae  censum  turbat.     hoc  sterile  ac  male  nobile 
lignum  30 

turba  sepulta  mero  circum  venit,  omniaque  orbis 
praemia  corruptis  miles  vagus  exstruit  armis. 
ingeniosa  gula  est.     Siculo  scarus  aequore  mersus 
ad  mensam  vivus  perducitur,  atque  Lucrinis 
eruta  litoribus  vendunt  conchylia  cenas,  35 

ut  renovent  per  damna  famem.   iam  Phasidos  unda 
orbata  est  avibus,  mutoque  in  litore  tantum 
solae  desertis  adspirant  frondibus  aurae. 
nee  minor  in  campo  furor  est,  emptique  Quirites 
ad  praedam  strepitumque  lucri  suffragia  vertunt  40 
venalis  populus,  venalis  curia  patrum, 
est  favor  in  pretio.     senibus  quoque  libera  virtus 
exciderat,  sparsisque  opibus  conversa  potestas 


Petronii  Bellum  Civile  99 

ipsaque  maiestas  auro  corrupta  iacebat. 
pellitur  a  populo  victus  Cato  ;   tristior  ille  est,    46 
qui  vicit,  fascesque  pudet  rapuisse  Catoni. 
namque  —  hoc     dedecoris     populo     morumque 

ruina  — 
non  homo  pulsus  erat,  sed  in  uno  victa  potestas 
Romanumque  decus.     quare  tam  perdita  Roma 
ipsa  sui  merces  erat  et  sine  vindice  praeda.  50 

praeterea  gemino  deprensam  gurgite  plebem 
faenoris  illuvies  ususque  exederat  aeris. 
nulla  est  certa  domus,  nullum  sine  pignore  corpus, 
sed  veluti  tabes  tacitis  concepta  medullis 
intra  membra  furens  curis  latrantibus  errat.     55 
arma  placent  miseris,  detritaque  commoda  luxu 
vulneribus  reparantur,     inops  audacia  tuta  est. 
hoc  mersam  caeno  Romam  somnoque  iacentem 
quae  poterant  artes  sana  ratione  movere, 
ni  furor  et  bellum  ferroque  excita  libido  ?  60 

120.   tres  tulerat  Fortuna  duces,  quos  obruit 
omnes 
armorum  strue  diversa  feralis  Erinys. 
Crassum   Parthus    habet,   Libyco    iacet   aequore 

Magnus, 
lulius  ingratam  perfudit  sanguine  Romam. 
et  quasi  non  posset  tot  tellus  ferre  sepulcra     65 
divisit  cineres.     hos  gloria  reddit  honores. 

est  locus  exciso  penitus  demersus  hiatu 


100  Petkonii  Bellum  Civile 

Parthenopen  inter  magnaeque  Dicarchidos  arva, 

Cocyti  perfusus  aqua  ;   nam  spiritus,  extra 

qui  furit  effusus,  funesto  spargitur  aestu.  70 

non  haec  autumno  tellus  viret  aut  alit  herbas 

caespite  laetus  ager,  non  verno  persona  cantu 

mollia  discordi  strepitu  virgulta  locuntur, 

sed  chaos  et  nigro  squalentia  pumice  saxa 

gaudent  ferali  circum  tumulata  cupressu.  75 

has  inter  sedes  Ditis  pater  extulit  ora 

bustorum  flammis  et  cana  sparsa  favilla, 

ac  tali  volucrem  Fortunam  voce  lacessit : 

"rerum  humanarum  divinarumque  potestas, 

Fors,  cui  nulla  placet  nimium  secura  potestas,      80 

quae  nova  semper  amas  et  mox  possessa  relinquis, 

ecquid  Romano  sentis  te  pondere  victam, 

nee  posse  ulterius  perituram  extollere  molem  ? 

ipsa  suas  vires  odit  Romana  inventus 

et  quas  struxit  opes  male  sustinet.     aspice  late  85 

luxuriam  spoliorum  et  censum  in  damna  furentem. 

aedficant  auro  sedesque  ad  sidera  mittunt, 

expelluntur  aquae  saxis,  mare  nascitur  arvis, 

et  permutata  rerum  statione  rebellant. 

en  etiam  mea  regna  petunt.     perfossa  dehiscit    90 

molibus  insanis  tellus,  iam  montibus  haustis 

antra  gemunt,  et  dum  vanos  lapis  invenit  usus, 

inferni  manes  caelum  sperare  fatentur. 

quare  age,  Fors,  muta  pacatum  in  proelia  vultum 


Petronii  Bellum  Civile  101 

Romanesque  cie  ac  nostris  da  funera  regnis.        95 
iam  pridem  nullo  perfundimus  ora  cruore, 
nee  mea  Tisiphone  sitientis  perluit  artus, 
ex  quo  Sullanus  bibit  ensis  et  horrida  tellus 
extulit  in  lucem  nutritos  sanguine  fruges." 

121.    haec  ubi  dicta  dedit,  dextrae  coniungere 
dextrani  lOO 

conatus  rupto  tellurem  solvit  hiatu. 
tunc  Fortuna  Levi  defudit  pectore  voces  : 
"o  genitor,  cui  Cocyti  penetralia  parent, 
si  modo  vera  mihi  fas  est  impune  profari, 
vota  tibi  cedent ;   nee  enim  minor  ira  rebellat  105 
pectore  in  hoc  leviorque  exurit  flamma  medullas, 
omnia,  quae  tribui  Romanis  arcibus,  odi 
muneribusque  meis  irascor.     destruet  istas 
idem,  qui  posuit,  moles  deus.     et  mihi  cordi       109 
quippe  cremare  viros  et  sanguine  pascere  luxum. 
cemo  equidem  gemina  iam  stratos  morte  Philippos 
Thessaliaeque  rogos  et  funera  gentis  Hiberae. 
iam  fragor  armorum  trepidantes  personat  aures, 
et  Libyae  cemo  tua,  Nile,  gementia  castra, 
Actiacosque  sinus  et  Apollinis  arma  timentes.    115 
pande,  age,  terrarum  sitientia  regna  tuarum 
atque  animas  accerse  novas,     vix  navita  Porth- 

meus 
sufficiet  simulacra  virum  traducere  cumba  ; 
classe  opus  est.     tuque  ingenti  satiare  ruina, 


102  Petronii  Bellum  Civile 

pallida  Tisiphone,  concisaque  vulnera  mande  :  120 
ad  Stygios  manes  laceratus  ducitur  orbis." 

122.   vixdum  finierat,  cum  fulgure  rupta  corusco 
intremuit  nubes  elisosque  abscidit  ignes. 
subsedit  pater  umbrarum,  gremioque  reducto 
telluris  pavitans  fraternos  palluit  ictus.  125 

continuo  clades  hominum  venturaque  damna 
auspiciis  patuere  deum.     namque  ore  cruento 
deformis  Titan  vultum  caligine  texit : 
civiles  acies  iam  tum  spectare  putares. 
parte  alia  plenos  extinxit  Cynthia  vultus  130 

et  lucem  sceleri  subduxit.     rupta  tonabant 
verticibus  lapsis  montis  iuga,  nee  vaga  passim 
flumina  per  notas  ibant  morientia  ripas. 
armorum  strepitu  caelum  furit  et  tuba  Martem 
sideribus  tremefacta  ciet,  iamque  Aetna  voratur  135 
ignibus  insolitis  et  in  aethera  fulmina  mittit. 
ecce  inter  tumulos  atque  ossa  carentia  bustis 
umbrarum  facies  diro  stridore  minantur. 
fax  stellis  comitata  novis  incendia  ducit,  139 

sanguineoque  rubens  descendit  luppiter  imbre. 
haec  ostenta  brevi  solvit  deus.     exuit  omnes 
quippe  moras  Caesar,  vindictaeque  actus  amore 
Gallica  proiecit,  civilia  sustulit  arma. 

Alpibus  aeriis,  ubi  Graio  numine  pulsae 
descendunt  rupes  et  se  patiuntur  adiri,  146 

est  locus  Herculeis  aris  sacer  :  hunc  nive  dura 


Petronii  Bellum  Civile  103 

claudit  hiems  canoque  ad  sidera  vertice  tollit. 
caelum  illinc  cecidisse  putes  :  non  solis  adulti 
mansuescit  radiis,  non  verni  temporis  aura, 
sed  glacie  concreta  rigent  hiemisqiie  pruinis  :    150 
totum  ferre  potest  umeris  minitantibus  orbem. 
haec  ubi  calcavit  Caesar  iuga  milite  laeto 
optavitque  locum,  summo  de  vertice  montis 
Hesperiae  campos  late  prospexit  et  ambas 
intentans  cum  voce  manus  ad  sidera  dixit :        155 
"luppiter  omnipotens,  et  tu,  Satumia  tellus, 
armis  laeta  meis  olimque  onerata  triumphis, 
tester,  ad  has  acies  invitum  accersere  Martem, 
invitas  me  ferre  manus,  sed  vulnere  cogor, 
pulsus  ab  urbe  mea,  dum  Rhenum  sanguine  tin- 

guo  160 

dum  Gallos  iterum  Capitolia  nostra  petentes 
Alpibus  exclude,  vincendo  certior  exul. 
sanguine  Germano  sexagintaque  triumphis 
esse  nocens  coepi.     quamquam  quos  gloria  terret, 
aut  qui  sunt  qui  bella  vident?    mercedibus  emp- 

tae  165 

ac  viles  operae,  quorum  est  mea  Roma  noverca. 
at  reor,  baud  impune,  nee  banc  sine  vindice  dex- 

tram 
vinciet  ignavus.     victores  ite  furentcs, 
ite  mei  comites,  et  causam  dicite  ferro.  169 

namque  omnes  unum  crimen  vocat,  omnibus  una 


104  Petronii  Bellum  Civile 

impendet  clades.     reddenda  est  gratia  vobis, 
non  solus  vici.     quare,  quia  poena  tropaeis 
imminet  et  sordes  meruit  victoria  nostra, 
iudice  Fortuna  cadat  alea.     sumite  bellum 
et   temptate  manus.     certe   mea   causa   peracta 

est :  175 

inter  tot  fortes  armatus  nescio  vinci." 

haec  ubi  personuit,  de  caelo  Delphicus  ales 
omina  laeta  dedit  pepulitque  meatibus  auras, 
nee  non  horrendi  nemoris  de  parte  sinistra 
insolitae  voces  flamma  sonuere  sequ3nti.  iso 

ipse  nitor  Phoebi  vulgato  laetior  orbe 
crevit  et  aurato  praecinxit  fulgure  vultus. 

123.   fortior  ominibus  movit  Mavortia  signa 
Caesar  et  insolitos  gressu  prior  occupat  ausus. 
prima  quidem  glacies  et  cana  vincta  pruina      185 
non  pugnavit  humus  mitique  horrore  quievit. 
sed  postquam  turmae  nimbos  fregere  ligatos 
et  pavidus  quadrupes  undarum  vincula  rupit, 
incaluere  nives.     mox  flumina  montibus  altis 
undabant  modo  nata,  sed  haec  quoque  —  iussa 

putares  —  190 

stabant,  et  vincta  fluctus  stupuere  ruina, 
et  paulo  ante  lues  iam  concidenda  iacebat. 
tum  vero  male  fida  prius  vestigia  lusit 
decepitque  pedes  ;    pariter  turmaeque  virique 
armaque  congesta  strue  deplorata  iacebant.       195 


Petronii  Bellum  Civile  105 

ecce  etiam  rigido  concussae  flamine  nubes 

exonerabantur,  nee  rupti  turbine  venti 

derant  aut  tumida  confraetum  grandine  caelum. 

ipsae  iam  nubes  ruptae  super  arma  cadebant, 

et  concreta  gelu  ponti  velut  unda  ruebat.  200 

victa  erat  ingenti  tellus  nive  victaque  caeli 

sidera,  victa  suis  haerentia  flumina  ripis  ; 

nondum  Caesar  erat,  sed  magnam  nixus  in  hastam 

horrida  securis  frangebat  gressibus  arva, 

qualis  Caucasea  decurrens  arduus  arce  205 

Amphitryoniades,  aut  torvo  luppiter  ore, 

cum  se  verticibus  magni  demisit  Olympi 

et  periturorum  disiecit  tela  Gigantum, 

dum  Caesar  tumidas  iratus  deprimit  arces, 
interea  volucer  motis  conterrita  pinnis  210 

Fama  volat  summique  petit  iuga  celsa  Palati 
atque  hoc  Romano  tonitru  ferit  omnia  signa  : 
iam  classes  fluitare  mari  totasque  per  Alpes 
fervere  Germano  perfusas  sanguine  turmas. 
arma,  cruor,  caedes,  incendia  totaque  bella        215 
ante  oculos  volitant.     ergo  pulsata  tumultu 
pectora  perque  duas  scinduntur  territa  causas. 
huic  fuga  per  terras,  illi  magis  unda  probatur 
et  patria  pontus  iam  tutior.     est  magis  arma 
qui  temptare  velit  fatisquc  iubentibus  uti.         220 
quantum  quisque  timet,  tantum  fugit.     ocior  ipse 
hos  inter  motus  populus,  miserabile  visu, 


106  Petronii  Bellum  Civile 

quo  mens  icta  iubet,  deserta  ducitur  urbe. 
gaudet  Roma  fuga,  debellatique  Quirites 
rmnoris  sonitu  maerentia  tecta  relinquunt.       225 
ille  manu  pavida  natos  tenet,  ille  penates 
occultat  gremio  deploratmnque  relinquit 
limen  et  absentem  votis  interficit  hostem. 
sunt  qui  coniugibus  maerentia  pectora  iungant, 
grandaevosque    patres    onerisque    ignara    inven- 
tus 230 
t  id  pro  quo  metuit,  tantum  trahit.f    omnia  secum 
hie  vehit  imprudens  praedamque  in  proelia  ducit. 
ac  velut  ex  alto  cum  magnus  inhorruit  auster 
et  pulsas  evertit  aquas,  non  arma  ministris, 
non  regimen  prodest,  ligat  alter  pondera  pinus,  235 
alter  tuta  sinus  tranquillaque  litora  quaerit : 
hie  dat  vela  fugae  Fortunaeque  omnia  credit, 
quid  tam  parva  queror?    gemino   cum   consule 

Magnus 
ille  tremor  Ponti  saevique  repertor  Hydaspis 
et  piratarum  scopulus,  modo  quem  ter  ovantem  240 
luppiter  horruerat,  quem  fracto  gurgite  pontus 
et  veneratus  erat  submissa  Bosporos  unda, 
pro  pudor,  imperii  deserto  nomine  fugit, 
ut  Fortuna  levis  Magni  quoque  terga  videret. 
124.     ergo    tanta    lues    divum  quoque  numina 
vicit,  245 

consensitque  fugae  caeli  timor.     ecce  per  orbem 


Petronii  Bellum  Civile  107 

mitis  turba  deum  terras  exosa  furentes 

deserit  atque  hominum  damnatum  avertitur  ag- 

men. 
Pax  prima  ante  alias  niveos  pulsata  lacertos 
abscondit  palla  victum  caput  atque  relicto         250 
orbe  fugax  Ditis  petit  implacabile  regnum. 
huic  comes  it  submissa  Fides  et  crine  soluto 
lustitia  ac  maerens  lacera  Concordia  palla. 
at  contra,  sedes  Erebi  qua  rupta  dehiscit, 
emergit  late  Ditis  chorus,  horrida  Erinys  255 

et  Bellona  minax  facibusque  armata  Megaera 
Letumque  Insidiaeque  et  lurida  Mortis  imago, 
quas  inter  Furor,  abruptis  ceu  liber  habenis, 
sanguineum  late  tollit  caput  oraque  mille 
vulneribus  confossa  cruenta  casside  velat ;       260 
haeret  detritus  laevae  Mavortius  umbo 
innumerabilibus  telis  gravis,  atque  flagranti 
stipite  dextra  minax  terris  incendia  portat. 

sentit  terra  deos  mutataque  sidera  pondus 
quaesivere  suum  ;   namque  omnis  regia  caeli     266 
in  partes  diducta  ruit.     primumque  Dione 
Caesaris  acta  sui  ducit,  comes  additur  illi 
Pallas  et  ingentem  quatiens  Mavortius  hastam. 
Magnum  cum  Phoebo  soror  et  Cyllenia  proles 
cxcipit  ac  totis  similis  Tirynthius  actis.  270 

intremucre  tubae  ac  scisso  Discordia  crine 
extulit  ad  superos  Stygium  caput,     huius  in  ore 


108  Petronii  Bellum  Civile 

concretus  sanguis,  contusaque  lumina  flebant, 
stabant  aerati  scabra  rubigine  denies, 
tabo  lingua  fluens,  obsessa  draconibus  ora,         275 
atque  inter  torto  laceratam  pectore  vestem 
sanguineam  tremula  quatiebat  lampada  dextra. 
haec  ut  Cocyti  tenebras  et  Tartara  liquit, 
alta  petit  gradiens  iuga  nobilis  Appennini, 
unde  omnes  terras  atque  omnia  litora  posset     280 
aspicere  ac  toto  fluitantes  orbe  catervas, 
atque  has  erumpit  furibundo  pectore  voces  : 
"sumite  nunc  gentes  accensis  mentibus  arma, 
sumite  et  in  medias  immittite  lampadas  urbes. 
vincetur,  quicumque  latet ;  non  femina  cesset,  285 
non  puer  aut  aevo  iam  desolata  senectus ; 
ipsa  tremat  tellus  lacerataque  tecta  rebellent. 
tu  legem,  Marcelle,  tene.     tu  concute  plebem, 
Curio,     tu  fortem  ne  supprime,  Lentule,  Martem. 
quid  porro  tu,  dive,  tuis  cunctaris  in  armis,      290 
non  frangis  portas,  non  muris  oppida  solvis 
thesaurosque  rapis  ?   nescis  tu,  Magne,  tueri 
Romanas  arces  ?   Epidamni  moenia  quaere         293 
Thessalicosque  sinus  Romano  sanguine  tingue." 
factum  est  in  terris,  quicquid  Discordia  iussit. 


COMMENTARY 

118.    1.  teneriorem:   "subtler." 

verborum  ambitu:  figurative  or  altusive  language, 
into  which  the  thought  is  woven,  not  lying  on  the  sur- 
face, but  gleaming  out  here  and  there. 

Heliconem:  a  mountain  in  Boeotia,  sacred  to  Apollo 
and  the  Muses.  Erhard,  of.  Mart.,  VII,  63, 12  (of  Sihus 
Itahcus) : 

proque  suo  celebrat  nunc  Helicona  foro. 

2.  forensibus  miiiisteriis  exercitati:  trained  for  the 
bar.     Cf.  preceding  note. 

controversiam :  cf.  Ch.  1-4  (see  p.  89  ff.).  Pupils  in 
the  schools  of  rhetoric  were  required  to  plead  on  both 
sides  of  imaginary  cases,  often  of  the  most  absurd 
description.  See  Introd.,  p.  8  n.  1.  An  amusing  ac- 
count of  these  controversiae  will  be  found  in  Boissier, 
Tacite  (Paris,  1904),  Les  Ecoles  de  declamation  a  Rome. 

sententious  vibrantibus :  the  jingling  phrase,  with  its 
affected  diminutive,  is  a  fit  echo  of  the  tawdry  style 
in  which  these  "flashing  little  epigrams"  were  dressed. 

pidam:  contrast  exstrui  above.  The  poem  is  to  be 
a  solid  structure;  the  controversia,  supposed  to  belong 
to  the  serious  business  of  life,  is  merely  a  painted  show. 

3.  vanitatem :    mere  empty  words, 

"full  of  sound  and  fury, 
Signifying  nothing." 
109 


110    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

inundata:    "quickened." 

4.  vilitate:  "cheapness,"  "vulgarity."  Also  "slov- 
enliness." Cf.  Quintil.,  VIII,  3,  49  {vilis  oratio  opposed 
to  accurata). 

a  plebe  semotae:  not  cheapened  by  indiscriminate 
and  undiscriminating  use,  as  has  been  the  fate  of  many 
a  fine  word  in  our  own  tongue. 

odi  .  .  .  arceo:   Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  1,  1. 

5.  sententiae:  "glittering  generalities"  and  epigrams 
(in  the  modern  sense). 

intexto:  cf.  intexuit  above. 

lyrici:    the  Greek  melic  poets  (including  Pindar). 

curiosa  felicitas:  the  perfection  of  Horace's  lyrics 
lies  in  their  exquisitely  finished  workmanship,  which 
yet  has  the  effect  of  something  perfectly  fresh,  simple, 
and  natural  —  the  result  of  a  happy  inspiration.  If 
Petronius's  reputation  as  a  critic  rested  on  these  two 
words  alone,  it  would  still  be  very  high. 

ceteri:  how  severe  is  Petronius's  standard  will  at 
once  appear  if  the  roll  of  those  whom  he  excludes  from 
his  canon  be  recalled. 

timuerunt:  because  they  preferred  an  easier,  if  less 
glorious,  road  to  fame.    De  Salas,  cf .  Propert.,  Ill,  1, 14  f. 

plenus  litteris :  throughout  the  Satirae  Petronius  uses 
the  ablative  after  plenus  instead  of  the  more  common 
genitive. 

6.  ecce  .  .  .  lahetur:  see  Introd.,  p.  11  f. 

res  .  .  .  gestae:  the  actual  events,  just  as  they 
occurred,  with  all  their  uninspiring  details. 

quod  longe  melius  historici  faciunt:    cf.   Quintil.,  X, 


Commentary  111 

1,  90  :  Lucanus  ardeits,  ci  concitatus,  et  sententiis  claris- 
simus,  et,  ut  dicain  quod  sentio,  magis  oratoribus  quam 
poetis  adnumerandus. 

ambages:    "detours,"  i.e.  indirection. 

deorum  .  .  .  ministeria:  the  activities  of  the  gods 
are  to  show  us  those  of  man  by  reflection.  Cf.  76-122, 
283-295. 

fabulosum  sententiarum  tormentum:  the  projection  of 
thought  through  the  reahns  of  the  imagination. 

liber:  freed  from  the  trammels  of  fact. 

furentis:  of  poetic  frenzy.    Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  100. 

relig'iosae:    scrupulously  exact. 

fides:   conscientious  accuracy. 

impetus:  continuing  the  figure  of  tormentum,  prae- 
cipitandus.  The  poem  is  compared  to  the  flight  of  a 
missile  or  the  swoop  of  a  bird,  brief  but  forceful.  Moess- 
ler  translates  by  Anlauf.  Impetus  is  often  used  of  a 
sudden  manifestation  of  power  or  passion,  as  contrasted 
with  a  steady,  even  effort,  or  the  operation  of  a  force 
which  can  be  calculated.  Cf.  Liv.,  V,  6,  7 ;  XLII, 
29,  11.  Quintil,  XII,  2,  1.  Also  Ov.,  F.,  VI,  5  f. : 
est  deus  in  nobis,  agitante  calescimus  illo. 
impetus  hie  sacrae  semina  mentis  habet. 

ultimam  manum:   cf.  Ov.,  Tr.,  I,  7,  27  f. : 
nee  tamen  ilia  legi  poterunt  patienter  ab  ullo 
nesciet  his  summam  si  quis  abesse  manum. 

30:  ultima  lima.  II,  555;  Met.,  VIII,  200;  XIIT, 
402:    manus  ultima.     Solinus,  Ad  Adventum:    suvima 


112    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Analysis  of  the  Poem 

1-60.  General  introduction :  Rome  the  mistress  of 
the  world.  Her  abuse  of  power.  Its  reaction.  Civil 
war  inevitable. 

61-66.  Subsidiary  introduction.  The  human  leaders 
in  the  struggle. 

67-121.  The  Powers  of  Evil  make  their  compact. 
Preparations  to  begin  the  work  of  destruction. 

122-143.  Signs  and  omens.  Transition  to  the  war 
itself  and  its  dominating  figure. 

144-208.  Caesar,  (o)  His  defense  (144-176).  (6) 
Descent  from  the  Alps.  His  will  in  conflict  with  the 
elements  (177-208). 

209-243.  Effect  of  his  approach  on  the  opposite 
party. 

244-270.   The  gods  become  involved  in  the  struggle. 

271-294.   Signa  canunt. 

295.   Conclusion. 

1-60.   An  ever  popular  subject  with  Roman  writers. 
Cf.  Ch.  55,  6  (quoted  from  Publilius  Syrus)  ;    Verg., 
Ge.,  II,  463-465;   503-506  : 
sollicitant  alii  remis  freta  caeca,  ruuntque 
in  ferrum  penetrant  aulas  et  limina  regum  ; 
hie  petit  excidiis  urbem  miserosque  penatis 
ut  gemma  bibat  et  Sarrano  dormiat  ostro. 

Sen.,  Hivv.,  205-209;  Octavia,  424-438,  528-530. 
Sil.  Ital.,  XI,  33-47.  Sulpicia,  Satira  de  Corrupto  Statu 
Rei  Publicae  Temporibus  Domitiani,  27  ff. : 


Commentary  113 

sic  itidem  Romana  manus,  contendere  postquam 
destitit,  et  pacem  longis  frenavit  habenis, 
ipsa  domi  leges,  et  Graia  inventa  retractans, 
omnia  bellorum  terra  quaesita  marique 
praemia  consilio  et  molli  ratione  regebat.  31. 

******* 

Romulidarum  igitur  longa  et  gravis,  exitium,  pax.  57. 

(For  other  related  passages,  see  on  87  ff.) 

In  soberer  prose  we  find  contemporary  testimony 
to  some  of  the  conditions  at  which  Petronius  claimed 
to  be  looking  back.  Cic,  Pro  Lege  Manilia,  22, 
65  ff.  Sail.,  Cat.,  10  ff. ;  Jug.  41.  Florus,  a  rhetorician 
rather  than  a  historian,  frequently  recalls  Petronius  in 
manner  as  well  as  matter.  Cf.  Ep.,  Ill,  12,  7  :  quae 
enim  res  alia  furores  civiles  peperit,  quam  nimia  fclicitas  ? 
IV,  2,  1-2  :  iam  paene  toto  orbe  pacato  mains  erat  ini- 
pcrium  Romanum  quam  ut  ullis  exteris  viribus  extingui 
posset,  itaque  invidens  Fortuna  principi  gentium  populo, 
ipsum  ilium  in  exitium  suum  armavit. 

Cf.  also  Tac,  Agr.,  30,  6  f. :  raptores  orbis  postqtiam 
cuncta  vastantibus  defuere  terrae,  iam  et  mare  scrutantur 
.  .  .  quos  non  Oriens,  non  Occidens  satiaverit.  soli 
omnium  opes  atque  inopiam  pari  affectu  concupiscunt 
.  .  .  atque  vhi  solitudinem  faciunt,  pacem  appellant. 
Ann.,  II,  33,  1 ;  III,  52,  1;  53,  5 ;  54,  9  ;  55,  1. 

Plin.,  H.  N.,  XII,  1,2:   quo  magis  ac  magis  odmirari 
subit  .  .  .  caedi  monies  in  marmora,  vestes  ad  Seres  peti, 
unionem  in  Rubri  maris  profundo,  smaragdum  in  ima 
tellure  quaeri. 
I 


114    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Sen.,  Controv.,  II,  9,  1:  bella  civilia  aurato  Capitolio 
gessimus,  etc.     Lact.,  V,  9. 
Cf.  also  Amm.  Marc,  XIV,  6. 

1.  orbem:  cf.  Ov.,  F.,  I,  717  : 

horreat  Aeneadas  et  primus  et  ultimus  orbis. 

Aurel.  Vict.,  Ep.  39, 1 :  vbi  orbis Romani potentiam  cepit. 
And  the  formula  of  the  Roman  CathoUc  Church  :  Urbi 
et  Orbi. 

victor  Romanus:  "the  victorious  Roman,"  just  as 
we  say  "the  Turk"  and  the  like,  usually  with  an  adjec- 
tive. In  the  same  way  Livy  uses  victor  hostis  (XXII, 
49,  10),  and  frequently  writes  Poenus  where  it  cannot 
be  said  to  refer  to  Hannibal  alone.     Cf.  Parthus,  63. 

With  this  and  the  following  hne  cf.  Sallust,  Cat.,  36: 
imperiiim  populi  Romani  .  .  .  cui  .  .  .  ad  occasum  ab 
ortu  solis  omnia  domila  armis  parerent. 

And  Cic,  Arch,  10,  23. 

2.  Hadrianides  reads  terra,  against  the  Mss.,  and 
also  against  Lucr.,  I,  278  : 

quae  mare,  quae  terras,   quae   denique  nubila  caeli. 

Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  236 : 

qui  mare  qui  terras  omni  dicione  tenerent. 

and  Lucan,  I,  110  (see  Introd.,  p.  72),  of  which  this  line 
is  an  obvious  and  close  imitation. 

sidus  utrumque:  East  and  West,  implying  that  the 
sun  never  set  on  the  Roman  Empire.  Cf.  Cic,  Cat.,  III. 
11,  26 ;  IV,  10,  21.  Tac,  Agr.,  30  (see  note  to  1-60). 
Stat.,  Silv.,  I,  1,  94 :    Romana  dies.    Claud.,  IV  Cons. 


Commentary  115 

Hon.,  42  f.    Anth.  Lat.,  424,  4.    Also  Sen.,  H.  0., 

1700,  1840.     The  exact  meaning  of  sidus  utrumque  has 

been  variously  given  as  (1)  the  morning  and  evening 

star,  (2)  the  sun  and  moon  (Burmann),  (3)  the  rising 

and   setting    sun,   i.e.  East   and  West   (Hadrianides, 

Anton).    For  (1)  of.     Sen.,  Med.,  71  f.     For  (2)  Plin., 

H.  N.,  II,  12.     But  by  far  the  greater  number  of  similar 

expressions,   in  both  poetry  and  prose,  support   (3). 

E.g.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VII,  99-101: 

nepotes 

omnia  sub  pedibus,  qua  sol  utrumque  recurrens 

aspicit  Oceanum,  vertique  regique  videbunt. 

Ov.,  Her.,  IX,  16.  Stat.,  Theh.,  I,  157  f.  RutU. 
Namat.,  II,  28.  Claud.,  Bell.  Gild.,  48 ;  In  Eutrop., 
II,  Prol,  35.     IV,  Cows.  Hon.,  131. 

For  sidus  =  sol,  of.  Ov.,  Met.,  XIV,  172  f. : 

quod  loquor  et  spiro  caelumque  et  sidera  sohs 

respicio. 

Amm  IMarc,  XVIII,  7,  5  :  at  uhi  solis  radiis  exarserit 
tempus  .  .  .  vapore  sideris  .  .  .  agitantur. 

Hadrianides.     Cf.  also  Pindar,  Olymp.,  I,  5  f.,  and 
the  comment  of  the  Scholiast :  Kai  5k  TjXtos  dffrrip. 

3.   satiatus:    cf.  Tac,  Agr.,  30  (note  to  1-60). 

gravidis:    referring  rather  to  soldiers  sent  out  from 
Italy  than  to  cargoes  arriving  there,  as  the  next  few 
lines    show.     The   metaphor    is    a    natural    one.     Cf. 
Enn.,  Alex.,  Fr.,  X:     gravidus  armatis  ecus. 
Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  237  f. :   machina  .  .  .  feta  armis. 

Tennyson,   The  Revenge: 


116    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

"But  anon  the  great  'San  Philip'  she  bethought  herself 
and  went, 
Having  that  within  her  womb  that  had  left  her  ill- 
content." 

pulsa:  Burmann  adopted  the  reading  of  Trag., 
pressa,  in  support  of  which  he  cites  Ch.  89,  33  :  classes 
premunt  mare.  But  pulsa,  found  in  all  the  other  Mss., 
is  undoubtedly  the  correct  reading,  as  it  is  certainly 
the  more  vigorous.  Cf.  Enn.,  Ann.,  XIV,  385  :  spumat 
.  .  .  sale  rate  pulsum.  Catull.,  LXIV,  58 :  pellit  vada 
rends.  Odavia,  316  f.  :  resonant  remis  pulsata  freta, 
more  exactly.  Moessler  thinks  that  pulsa  expresses 
the  eagerness  of  the  Romans  for  their  plunder,  but 
this  is  perhaps  an  over-refinement.  Rubenius  proposed 
the  reading  Graiis  freta  pulsa  carinis.  "Nempe  Pontus 
et  loca,  per  quae  lason  cum  siiis  ad  aureum  vellus 
profectus  est.''  This  is  a  typical  instance  of  the  mis- 
directed energy  of  the  old  commentators,  who  have, 
between  them,  offered  almost  as  many  emendations 
as  there  are  words  in  the  poem  for  which  others 
could  be  substituted  without  wrecking  the  meter  or 
destroying  the  sense  beyond  their  own  powers  of 
elucidation. 

4.  peragebantur :  cf.  Ov.,  Her.,  XV,  65  (Sappho 
Phaoni) :    peragit  freta  caerula  remo. 

ultra:  beyond  the  regular  Roman  "sphere  of  in- 
fluence." 

5.  mitteret :  potential ;  which  might  become  a  source 
of  revenue. 


Commentary  117 

6.  hostis  erat:  was  treated  as  an  enemy.  Cf.  the 
formula:  in  hostium  numero   {habere.     Cf.  Sail.,  Jug., 

I  ducere 
81:    Romanos   iniustos,   profunda   avaritia,    communis 
omniwn    hostis    esse  .  .  .  uti    quisque    cpulentissimus 
videatur,  ita  Rovianis  hostemfore. 
Also  Hist.,  IV  (Letter  of  Mithridates).    Flo.,  IV,  12, 
1-2.    Tac,  Ann.,  Ill,  54,  9. 

tristia  bella:  the  "irrepressible  conflict"  in  which 
Fate  was  preparing  to  involve  the  Romans.  To  refer 
the  words,  as  Moessler  does,  to  the  wars  for  plmider, 
is  to  lose  sight  of  the  purpose  of  the  passage.  Civil 
war  was  to  be  the  consequence  and  the  punishment  of 
outrages  committed  abroad.    See  Introd.,  p.  64  £f. 

7.  quaerebantur :  the  regular  word  for  a  laborious  and 
far-reaching  search.  Cf.  10,  14,  ch.  93,  2,  10  (see  on 
33).  Lucan,  X,  157  :  toto  quaesivit  in  orbe,  and  Sulpicia, 
26  (see  on  1-60). 

7-8.  nan  .  .  .  voluptas:  cf.  Ch.  93,  1 :  vile  est,  quod 
licet,  et  animus  errore  lentus  iniurias  diligit.  (The  verses 
which  follow  are  quoted  on  33.)  Sen.,  Epp.,  XC,  18  : 
nos  omnia  nobis  dijficilia  facilium  fastidio  fecimus. 

9.  A  most  difficult  line.  The  reading  of  Heinsius, 
aes  Ephyreiacum,  appears  to  be  the  one  indicated  by 
the  various  strange  combinations  of  letters  found  in  most 
of  the  Mss.  Those  which  begin  with  spolia  apparently 
represent  a  very  early  attempt  to  restore  a  line  already 
corrupt  and  unintelligible.  Nor  is  aes  Ephyreiacum 
hard  to  explain.  The  famous  Corinthian  bronze 
(Ephyra  =  Corinth),    the   manufacture    of    which    had 


118    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

long  been  one  of  the  lost  arts,  was  highly  prized  by- 
Roman  collectors,  and  fabulous  prices  were  paid  for 
vessels  made  of  it  (see  Plin.,  H.  N.,  XXXIV,  3,  and  the 
comic  discussion  in  Petr.,  Ch.  50).  The  literature  of 
the  Empire  abounds  in  references  to  it.  In  unda,  if  it 
is  what  Petronius  wrote,  must  then  mean  "  over  seas  " 
(cf.  Tac,  Agr.,  30,  quoted  on  1-60),  but  the  expression 
is  a  strange  and  doubtful  one.  Still,  the  poet's  general 
meaning  is  clear.  The  soldiers  of  Rome,  no  longer  strong 
in  their  ignorance  of  everything  but  the  business  of 
war,  were  turned  connoisseurs  and  collectors  of  objets 
d'art  for  themselves  and  their  countrymen.  Although  in 
many  respects  Petronius  has  his  own  times  especially 
in  view,  there  is  probably  a  reference  here  to  Caesar's 
indulgence  of  his  men.  Cf.  Suet.,  luL,  67:  iadare 
solitus  (sc.  Caesar)  milites  suos  etiam  unguentatos  bene 
pugnare  posse  .  .  .  habebatque  tarn  cultos  ut  argento 
et  auro  politis  armis  ornaret.  (For  the  other  side  of  the 
picture,  see  Caes.,  B.  C,  III,  96.)  Of  the  other  readings 
proposed,  Assyria  concham  (de  Tournes)  at  first  recom- 
mends itself  because  it  makes  in  unda  more  intelligible, 
but  it  pointlessly  anticipates  ostro,  10,  a  waste  of  words 
which  Petronius  would  not  have  been  likely  to  allow 
himself  here.  Hesperium  coccum  (Saumaise;  Moessler, 
Hesperiae)  departs  from  the  Mss.  without  elucidating  in 
unda. 

Sil.  Ital.,  XIV,  655  f.,  although  very  corrupt  and 
perhaps  an  interpolation,  contain  a  manifest  imitation 
of  this  Hne,  which,  incidentally,  supports  the  reading 
of  Heinsius: 


Commentary  119 

non  aera  iuvabat 
quaesisse  ex  Epyre  :  fulvo  baud  certaverat  auro. 

10.  nitor:  at  first  sight  this  would  seem  to  indicate 
some  other  brilUant  pigment  which  had  come  to  rival 
ostrum,  the  Tyrian  purple,  made  from  the  secretion  of 
a  shell-fish.  But  coccum,  which  would  best  answer 
this  description,  was  made  from  the  egg  of  an  insect 
(Phn.,  H.  N.,  IX,  62,  3  ;  65,  3 ;  XVI,  12,  1 ;  XXI,  22, 
1 ;  XXII,  3,  1),  and  minium,  cinnabar,  and  similar 
products  of  the  earth  appear  to  have  been  used  not 
for  dyes,  but  for  paints.  It  is  therefore  necessary 
either  to  assume  that  Petronius  is  opposing  things  used 
for  different  purposes,  or  to  seek  another  explanation 
of  7utor.  Probably,  as  Anton  says,  it  means  gems 
(cf.  Plin.,  quoted  on  1-60).  Certaverat  shows  that  the 
rivalry  had  ah-eady  existed  for  some  time.  Cf.  des- 
poliaverat,  12. 

11-12.  The  language  of  these  two  lines  is  highly 
elliptical.  Hinc  Numidae  accusant  —  sc.  Romanos 
praedandi  atque  vastandi.  Despoliaverat  is  a  zeugma. 
Seres  arboribus  vellera  despoliaverant  et  Arabwn  popidus 
sua  arva  ture  et  odoribus  despoliaverat.  For  the  tense 
of  despoliaverat,  see  on  certaverat,  above. 

Owing  to  the  obscurity  of  expression  here,  various 
attempts  at  emendation  have  been  made.  One  class 
substitutes  an  accusative  for  accusant  (crustas,  Scaliger  ; 
gallos  or  citros,  Reiske ;  silices,  Stephanus ;  lapides. 
Palmer),  making  despoliaverat  serve  for  all  three  subjects. 
The  difficulty  with  these  readings  is  that,  with  the 


120    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

possible  exception  of  crustas,  they  are  utterly  unlike 
the  Mss.  The  others  supply  a  verb,  to  be  understood 
with  Seres  also  {accumulant,  early  corrupted  to  acculant, 
Heinsius  ;  accurant,  Delbenius  ;  adtulerant,  de  Guerle) . 
This  is  better,  but  it  is  very  harsh  to  construe  the  same 
verb  absolutely  with  Numidae  and  transitively  with 
vellera  Seres.  The  Mss.  reading,  while  harsh,  too,  has 
authority  to  support  it.  The  form  accusati,  preserved 
in  one  Ms.,  looks  like  a  weak  attempt  to  improve  the 
more  difficult  forms. 

The  Numidians  were  exposed  to  Roman  rapacity 
by  the  fame  of  their  beautiful  marble,  the  Arabians 
by  their  incense  and  perfumes.  The  Seres  (Chmese), 
too  distant  for  attack,  are  thought  of  as  exhausting 
their  treasures  of  silk  to  meet  the  demands  of  trade. 

vellera:  Roman  writers  continually  speak  of  silk  as 
"fleece"  gotten  from  trees.    E.g.  Verg.,  Ge.,  II,  120  f. : 

quid  nemora  Aethiopum  molli  canentia  lana 
velleraque  ut  f oliis  depectent  tenuia  Seres  ? 

Sen.,  Hipp.,  390 ;  H.  0.,  667  f.  Plin.,  H.  N.,  VI,  20,  2. 
Sil.  Ital.,  VI,  4.  That  they  confused  its  production 
with  that  of  cotton  is  evident  from  many  passages. 

The  wearing  of  silk  is  one  of  the  luxuries  of  the  Em- 
pire which  Petronius  carries  back  into  the  Republic. 
Its  use  by  men  was  forbidden  by  Tiberius  (Tac,  Ann., 
II,  33, 1),  and  was  considered  extremely  effeminate  until 
the  Empire  had  become  thoroughly  orientalized  (Con- 
trast Suet.,  Cal,  52 ;   and  Claud.,  IV  Cons.  Hon.,  601). 

Moessler  would  have  12  also  refer  to  fabrics,  but 


Commentary  121 

mention  of  Arabia  as  the  land  of  incense  and  perfumes 
is  so  common  in  Latin  literature  that  when,  as  here, 
nothing  is  specified,  the  Roman  reader  would  naturally 
have  thought  of  them.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  416  f. 
TibuU,  II,  2,  3  f.  Ov.,  F.,  IV,  569.  Sen.,  H.  F.,  909  f. 
H.  0.,  793  f. ;  Hipp.,  69  ;  Med.,  711.  Also  Shakspere, 
Macbeth,  V,  1 :  "All  the  perfumes  of  Arabia,"  and 
Othello,  V,  2 : 

"Drop  tears  as  fast  as  the  Arabian  trees 
Their  medicinal  gum." 

13-18.  Moessler  doubts  whether  these  Unes  are  in 
place,  because,  in  the  recapitulation,  24-27,  no  refer- 
ence is  made  to  the  circus.  For  this  reason  he  thinks 
that  they  may  belong  after  38,  the  furor  circensis  im- 
mediately preceding  the  juror  campi.  But  24-27  do 
not  really  recapitulate,  or  they  might  as  well  be  criti- 
cized for  omitting  to  mention  the  subjects  of  9  and  10. 
They  are  extremely  vague,  but  so  far  as  they  refer  to 
anytliing  outside  themselves,  it  is  to  what  immediately 
precedes. 

With  these  lines  cf.  Salv.,  De  Gubern.  Dei,  VI,  2,  10 : 
primum,  quod  nihil  ferme  vel  criminum  vel  flagitiorum 
est,  quod  in  spcctaculis  non  sit,  ubi  summum  deliciarum 
genus  est  mori  homines,  .  .  .  expleri  ferarum  alvos 
humanis  carnibus,  comedi  homines  .  .  .  conspicientium 
voluptate.  .  .  .  atque  ut  hoc  fiat,  orbis  impendium  est : 
magna  enim  cura  id  agitur  et  elaboratxir,  adeuntur  etiam 
loca  abdita,  lustrantur  invii  saltus,  peragrantur  silvae  in- 
explicabiles,  conscendunlur  nubiferae  Alpes,  penetrantur 


122    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

inferae  voiles  et  ut  devorari  possint  a  feris  viscera  homi- 
num,  non  licet  naturam  rerum  aliquid  habere  secretum. 

13.  laesae  vulnera  pads:  a  curious  expression. 
Northern  Africa  was  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  the 
grain  supply  of  Rome,  and  it  was  an  abuse  of  peace  as 
bad  as  continual  warfare  to  traffic  in  ravenous  and 
destructive  beasts  to  the  exclusion  of  the  useful  products 
of  the  country.     Laesae  is  proleptic. 

14.  auro  fera:  the  emendation  Mauro  (Anton.; 
Ed.  Lugd.  Batavorum,  Mauri)  at  first  commends  itself. 
But  auro,  besides  being  the  reading  indicated  by  the 
Mss.,  is  really  the  best  word  for  the  context.  Petro- 
nius is  here  complaining  of  the  abuse  of  commerce 
(see  on  13)  :  the  gold  which  should  have  been  given  for 
things  of  real  value  is  squandered  on  creatures  which 
should  have  been  left  in  their  native  wilds,  as  far  from 
civihzation  as  possible. 

ultimus  Hammon  Afrorum  :  the  remotest  ■ —  i.e. 
westernmost  —  part  of  Africa.  Cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  II, 
18,  4  f. :   ultima  .  .  .  Africa. 

15.  excutitur:  is  ransacked.  Excuiere  was  the  regu- 
lar Latin  word  for  searching  a  person  by  shaking  out 
his  toga. 

belua:  the  African  lion.    Cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  I,  22,15  f.: 

lubae  tellus  .  .  .  leonum 
arida  nutrix. 

Belua  cannot  mean  "elephant"  here,  as  ad  mortes,  18, 
depends  on  dente  .  .  .  pretiosa,  and  indicates  some 
animal  whose  value  lay  in  his  ferocity.      Claud.,  de 


Commentary  123 

Cons.  StiL,  III,  317  f.  ;  quodciwique  tremendum  dcntibus. 
Elephants  could  not  be  depended  upon  to  show  fight 
in  the  arena.  Belva,  too,  although  most  commonly 
applied  to  them,  was  also  used  frequently  of  other 
animals,  according  to  the  point  of  view.  Fera,  above, 
refers  to  wild  beasts  in  general.  In  this  line  and  16  f. 
Petronius  specifies  the  two  most  formidable  varieties. 

dente:  de  Salas,  cf.  the  expression  ferae  dentatae 
(venatione  .  .  .  denis  bestiis  et  IV  feris  de7itatis,C.  I.  L., 
X,  3704). 

16.  ad  mortes:  purpose. 

fames  .  .  .  advena:  in  apposition  to  tigris,  17.  The 
tiger  is  called  an  "immigrant  hunger"  because  of  its 
voracit}^,  and  also  because  it  was  allowed  to  occupy 
the  ships  which  should  have  been  employed  to  bring 
foodstuffs  to  the  city.     Hadrianides,  cf.  Suet.,  Nero,  45. 

For  the  form  of  expression,  cf.  Ch.  45, 12  (of  cowardly 
gladiators)  :  -plane  fugae  inerae.  Lucan,  IX,  707  :  Lihy- 
cae  mortes  (serpents).  Mart.,  X,  96,  9:  pretiosa  fames 
means  that  even  semi-starvation  was  expensive. 

premit  .  .  .  classes:  cf.  the  line  quoted,  p.  48  n.  2; 
dc  Salas,  cf.  Claud.,  De  III  Cons.  StiL,  326  f. : 

exsanguis  dextera  torpet 
remigis  et  propriam  metuebat  navita  mercem. 

17.  tigris:  Anton  explains  that  Petronius  must  have 
meant  the  panther,  because  tigers  were  not  brought 
to  Rome  until  the  reign  of  Augustus.  But  historical 
accuracy  of  this  kind  was  as  unknown  in  Pctronius's 
day  as  in  Shakspcre's,  and  the  magnificent  creatures, 


124    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

once  seen,  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  Roman 
imagination,  as  is  shown  by  the  frequent  references  to 
them  in  Silver  Latin.     Martial  and  Seneca  (Tragedies) 
are  especially  fond  of  them. 
aurata  gradiens  .  .  .  in  aula:  pacing  his  gilded  cage. 

18.  In  spite  of  the  almost  unparalleled  brutality 
of  the  Romans,  there  must  have  been  many  who,  like 
Cicero,  if  not  shocked,  were  at  least  bored  by  these 
exhibitions.  Quae  potest  homini  esse  polito  delectalio, 
cum  aut  homo  imbecillus  a  valentissima  bestia  laniatur, 
aut  praeclara  bestia  venabulo  transverberaturf  {Ad  Fam., 
VII,  1,  3).  Seneca  takes  a  stronger  position,  and  his 
Letters  and  Essays  contain  repeated  condemnations  of 
the  butcheries  of  the  arena  and  their  reaction  on  the 
spectators.     E.g.  Epp.,  XC,  45 ;   XCV,  33. 

19.  peritura  .  .  .  fata:  cf.  83:  perituram  .  .  . 
molem;  208.  Ch.  89,  53:  peritura  Troia;  115,  17: 
periturum  corpus.  Sail. ,  Jug.,  35,  10 :  urbem  .  .  . 
mature  perituram.  Also  Verg.,  Ge.,  II,  498.  Lucan, 
VII,  329;  VIII,  692.  Quintil.,  DecL,  VIII,  1:  peri- 
tura laborasse  fato  (Wernsdorff).  See  Introd.,  pp. 
46  and  48. 

Some  editors,  finding  difficulty  in  the  bold  expression 
here,  have  read  paritura  {sc.  perniciem,  Meller),  or 
facta  (Burmann),  with  reference  to  the  evils  mentioned 
below.  But  the  illogical  combination  of  words  really 
lends  force  to  the  thought  without  obscuring  it.  Peri- 
tura is  transferred  from  the  doomed  Romans  to  the 
Fates  that  have  doomed  them,  and  whose  purpose 
might  have  been  read  in  the  arrj  (a  conception  for  which 


Commentary  125 

the  Greeks  alone  have  found  a  name),  which  compelled 
them  to  plunge  themselves  into  ever  deepening  guilt. 

20.   Persarum  ritu:   cf.  Amm.  Marc,  XIV,  6,  17. 

male  =  vix:  cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  21:  vix  pubesce7itibus 
annis.     For  Petronius's  use  oimale,  seelntrod.,  p.  48  f. 

Moessler  thinks  that  Petronius  had  his  own  times  in 
mind  here  :  "puerorum  castrationes  iam  ante  bellum  civile 
Romae  Jreqiientatas  esse  non  satis  constat."  Silver  Latin, 
on  the  other  hand,  abounds  in  references  to  the  practice. 

21-22.  surripuere  viros :  this  is  commonly  explained  : 
virilitatem  ademerunt  (Forcellini),  an  interpretation 
which  is  supported  by  Plant.,  Asin.,  I,  3,  84.  CatuU., 
LXIII.  6.  Lucan,  X,  133  f.  Arnob.,  I,  41;  V,  13,  39. 
But  this  makes  exsecta  .  .  .  fregere  a  mere  repetition. 
It  also  seems  strange  that  in  the  whole  sentence,  19-24, 
there  should  be  no  word  directly  referring  to  the  persons 
under  discussion.  It  is  therefore  better  to  understand 
male  pubescentibus  annis  .  .  .  viros  as  meaning  "boys" 
(cf.  Amm.  Marc,  I.e.:  teneros  mares).  Surripuere  is 
natural  because  the  worst  features  of  the  slave-trade, 
even  though  not  illegal,  would  have  been  kept  out  of 
the  pulilic  ^ye.  It  may  also  refer  to  the  kidnapping  of 
children  by  slave-dealers  and  their  agents. 

in  venerem:  purpose.  In  Jerome,  Epp.,  43,  2: 
histrio  .  .  .  in  Venerem  frangitur,  it  refers  to  imper- 
sonating the  character. 

fregere:  a  common  word  in  this  connection.  Cf. 
Stat.,  Silv.,  Ill,  4,  74  :  frangere  sexum. 

mobilis:  this  seems  to  have  more  point  than  the 
other  reading,  nobilis,  as  it  was  a  frequent  epithet  of 


126    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

time,  and  closely  associated  with  the  idea  of  flight. 
Cf.  Hor.,  Epp.,  II,  2,  172  :  pundo  .  .  .  mobilis  horae. 
Sen.,  Hipp.,  447,  1141  f. 

23.  circumscripta  agrees  with  fuga,  above. 
properantes  dijferat  annos:    "puts  off  the  hurrying 

years,"  i.e.  keeps  them  from  hurrying  to  their  natural 
goal.  Cf.  Sen.,  Epp.,  XL VII,  7  :  alius  vini  yyiinisler 
in  muliebrem  modum  ornatus  cum  aetate  luctatur.  non 
potest  effugere  pueritiam:   retrahitur. 

24.  quaerit  .  .  .  invenit:  "natura  viarium  ita  cor- 
rumpitur  ut  se  mares  esse  non  amplius  sentiant."  (Anton.) 
Cf.  Mart.,  II,  83,  2  f. 

24-27.  omnibus  .  .  .  quaerunt. :  a  strange  jumble. 
Fracti  .  .  .  gressus  and  laxi  crines  are  appropriate 
to  what  has  preceded,  but  tot  .  .  .  vestis  is  thrown  in 
irrelevantly;  the  beginning  is  flat  and  the  end  feeble. 
On  the  whole,  it  looks  as  though  something  had  been 
lost  from  the  text,  and  the  mutilated  remainder  patched 
up  to  fit  in  between  invenit,  24,  and  ecce,  27. 

25.  fracti  .  .  .  gressus :  a  mincing  gait.  Cf .  Quintil., 
V,  9,  14 :  ut  fortasse  corpus  vulsum,  fractum  incessum, 
vestem  muliebrem  dixerit  mollis  et  parum  viri  signa. 
Salv.,  De  Gubern.  Dei,  VII,  19,  83. 

enervi  corpore :  cf .  Ch.  2,2:  ut  corpus  orationis  ener- 
varetur. 

26.  laxi  crines:  flowing  locks. 

tot  .  .  .  vestis:  Anton  hails  this  abrupt  change  — 
"hie  demum  carpitur  luxus  midierum'"  —  but  wrongly, 
for  Petronius  in  this  poem  has  nothing  to  say  about 
the  women,  confining  his  attention  to  those  whom  he 


Commentary  127 

holds  responsible  for  the  war.  Even  if  something  has 
been  lost  here,  it  is  plain  that  tot  .  .  .  vestis  cannot 
belong  to  any  one  but  the  scorta.  For  the  capricious 
change  of  names,  however,  without  any  implication  as  to 
the  sex  of  the  wearers,  cf.  Plant.,  Epid.,  II,  2,  48  : 

ciuid  istae  quae  vesti  quotannis  nomina-  inveniunt  nova  ? 

27.  eruta:  suggests  the  labor  involved  in  dragging 
the  "unfruitful  lumber"  from  the  remote  forests  of 
Africa  to  Rome.     It  is  used  in  its  literal  sense,  35. 

29.  The  order  of  lines  followed  here  seems  to  be 
required  by  the  relative  clause  which  begins  at  30 
(however  read),  and  which  otherwise  is  joined  too 
loosely  to  what  precedes. 

ponitur:   is  set  forth. 

maculis:  the  markings  of  the  citrus  wood,  which, 
together  with  the  size  of  the  orbis,  determined  its  value 
(see  on  citrea  mensa  below).  (Cf.  Plin.,  H.  N.,  XIII, 
29  f.,  for  statistics.)  Sen.,  de  TranqidlL,  I,  4  :  placet 
.  .  .  mensa  non  varietate  macularum  consjncua  (contrast 
Cassius  Dio's  statement,  note  on  28).  Tertull.,  de  Pall, 
5  :   hem  quantis  facultatibus  aestiniavere  ligneas  maculas  ! 

mutatur  (Trag.)  :  must  be  the  right  reading,  as 
imitatur  does  not  make  sense.  The  words  may  mean : 
"the  table  is  set  forth,  and  gold,  as  a  thing  of  less  value, 
is  exchanged  for  its  markings,"  but  it  is  more  reasonable 
to  take  the  verb  as  a  middle  :  "the  table  is  set  forth  and 
exchanges  the  less  valued  gold  (i.e.  causes  it  to  be  ex- 
changed) for  its  markings."  In  either  case  macidis  is,  of 
course,  ablative,  the  regular  construction  with  mutare. 


128    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

villus:  better  than  vilibus.  Cf.  Mart.,  XIV,  89; 
Citrea  Mensa: 

accipe  felices,  Atlantica  munera,  silvas  : 
aurea  qui  dederit  dona,  minora  dabit. 

28.  citrea  mensa:  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  XIII,  354  :  inensaeque 
alia  tellure  petitae.  Round  tables  made  of  cross-sec- 
tions of  the  citrus  tree  from  northern  Africa,  mounted 
on  ivory  feet,  brought  fabulous  prices  at  Rome.  Pliny 
(see  on  29)  says  that  Cicero  paid  1,000,000  sestertii 
(about  $40,000)  for  one  of  them.  Some  enthusiasts 
collected  them  in  large  numbers.  According  to  Cas- 
sius  Dio  (LXI,  10,  3),  Seneca  had  500  iVovs  koI  6/totous. 
Cf.  also  Mart.,  IX,  22,  5 : 

ut  Mauri  Libycis  centum  stent  dentibus  orbes. 

greges  servorum:  cf.  Sen.,  Consol.  ad  Helv.,  11 : 
turba.  Tac,  Ann.,  Ill,  53 :  familiarum  .  .  .  nationes; 
and  the  humorously  exaggerated  statements  in  Petr., 
Ch.  37,  9,  and  53,  2.  For  numbers  cf.  Tac,  Ann., 
XIV,  43.    Athen.,  VI,  104. 

ostrumque:  purple  hangings  and  couch  draperies. 
Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  700. 

renidens:  the  highly  polished  surface  of  the  table 
reflects  the  objects  about  it.     Cf.  Hor.,  Carni.,  II,  18, 

2 :  non  ebur  neque  aureum 

mea  renidet  in  domo  lacimar. 

On  the  extravagances  of  the  wealthy  in  the  matter 
of  slaves  and  banquets,  cf.  Sen.,  Epp.,  XCV,  24  ff. 
30.   With  the  exception  of  the  last  three  or  four  words. 


Commentary  129 

this  line  appears  very  badly  confused  in  the  Mss.,  and 
even  with  the  best  emendation  the  first  part  is  so  flat  as 
to  suggest  that  perhaps  a  marginal  note  has  displaced 
the  original  words,  especially  as  quae  .  .  .  turbat  bears 
so  strong  a  esemblance  to  the  equally  unworthy 
quaeque  .  .  .  quaerunt,  30.  A  similar .  correspondence 
between  two  suspicious  bits  will  be  found  in  221  and 
231  (see  note  on  the  latter).  Male  nobile  lignum,  on 
the  other  hand,  bears  the  genuine  impress  of  Petronius's 
stjde  and  connects  naturally  with  what  follows. 

censum:  cf.  Cicero  (quoted  by  Nonius,  III,  p.  202 
M,  s.  censum,  neutr.)  : 

quorum  luxuries  fortunam  ac  censa  peredit. 

turbat:  a  word,  with  its  compounds,  frequently  used 
by  Petronius  and  the  writers  of  his  period.  Cf .  Ch.  16, 3  ; 
18,  2  ;  74,  8  ;  105,  1,  6  ;  106,  2  ;  108,  1 ;  109, 1 ;  110,  3  ; 
111,7;  130,4;  131,4;  136,3. 

male  nobile:  see  Introd.,  p.  48  f. 

31.  iurba:   see  on  247. 

sepulta  mero:  cf.  Ch.  89,  56  (see  Introd.  p.  95). 
Enn.,  Ann.,  VIII,  292.  Lucr.,  I,  133  ;  V,  475.  Verg., 
Aen.,  II,  265 ;  III,  630.     Propert.,  Ill,  11,  56. 

omniaque  orbis  praemia:  cf.  Tac,  Agr.,  30,  and 
Sulpicia,  Sat.  30  f.     (See  note  to  1-60.) 

32.  corruptis :  differs  in  but  one  letter  from  the  Mss. 
reading,  but  is  infinitely  more  expressive  and  imaginative. 
Of  course  it  is  not  meant  literally,  but  is  a  transferred 
epithet  belonging  to  the  soldier's  character  and  the 
purposes  for  which  his  arms  are  employed. 

K 


130    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

vagus:  because  of  the  space  over  which  their  opera- 
tions spread.     Cf.  1-6. 

exstruit :  Moessler  is  right  in  contending  that  this  fits 
the  sense  better  than  esurit.  The  latter  would  refer  to 
the  tastes  and  desires  of  the  degenerate  soldiers  them- 
selves, as  in  9,  but  the  point  here  is  that  the  whole  tre- 
mendous power  of  the  armed  Empire  is  made  to  serve 
the  appetites  of  the  besotted  turba  at  Rome.  The  sol- 
diers are  luxuriae  ministri,  and  heap  up  delicacies  for 
them. 

33.  ingeniosa  gula  est:  the  same  expression  is  found 
in  Mart.,  XIII,  62,  2. 

For  an  expansion  of  the  ideas  in  this  and  the  following 
Unes,  cf.  Ch.  93,  2  : 

alis  Phasiacis  petita  Colchis 

atque  Afrae  volucres  placent  palato 

quod  non  sunt  faciles  :  at  albus  anser 

et  pictis  anas  renovata  pennis 

plebeium  sapit.   ultimis  ab  oris 

attractus  scarus  atque  arata  Syrtis 

si  quid  naufragio  dedit,  probatur  7. 

*  *  *  * 

quicquid  quaeritur,  optimum  videtur.       10. 

Sallust,  Cat,  13  :  vescendi  causa  terra  marique  omnia 
exquirere,  etc.  Sen.,  Thy.,  460-462  ;  Consol.  ad  Helv.  9. 
Juv.,  V,  92-100.     Cell.  VII,  16. 

scarus :  a  great  dainty  with  the  Romans  at  all  periods. 
Cf.  Enn.,  Heduphag.,  7.  Hor.,  Epod.,  II,  50;  Serm.,  II, 
2,  22.    Mart.,  XIII,  84.    PUn.,  H.  N.,  IX,  29,  says 


Commentary  131 

that  Tiberius  transplanted  them  from  the  waters  east 

of  Crete  to  the  coast  of  Campania. 
Siculo  .  .  .  aequoremersus;   "  ex  Siculo  mare  petitum, 

in   eiusdem   maris   aqua   appositum,"    Moessler.     Cf. 

Mart.,  XIII,  79,  Alulli  Vivi : 

spirat  in  advecto,  sed  iam  piger,  aequore  mullus  : 
languescit.    vi\'um  da  mare  :  fortis  erit. 

34.  viims  cf.  Mart.,  quoted  on  33.  Sen.,  Nat.  Quaest., 
Ill,  17 :  quanta  incredihiliora  sunt  opera  luxunae, 
quotiens  naturam  aid  mentitur  aut  vincitur?  in  cuhili 
natant  pisces,  et  sub  ipsa  mensa  capittir,  qui  stalim 
transferatur  in  mensam.  parum  videtur  recens  mullus, 
nisi  qui  in  convivae  manu  moritur.  vitreis  ollis  inclusi 
offeruntur,  et  observatur  morientiimi  color,  quem  in  midtas 
mutationes  mors  luctante  spirUu  vertit .  .  .  et  oculos,  an- 
tequam  gulam,  pavit  (piscis). 

Plin.,  H.  N.,  IX,  30  ad  fin.    Sen.,  Epp.,  XC,  7. 
Lucrinis:    the   Lucrine   lake,   near  Baiae   in  Cam- 
pania, was  famous  for  its  oysters.     Cf.  Mart.,  XIII,  82, 
Ostrea  : 

ebria  Baiano  modo  veni  concha  Lucrino  : 
nobile  nunc  sitio  luxuriosa  garum. 

Sen.,  Epp.,  LXXVIII,  23. 

35.  enda:  dug  from  the  oyster-beds.  Moessler 
reads  obruta,  meaning  that  the  oysters  were  brought 
sand  and  all,  and  compares  34,  but  the  emendation  is 
quite  uncalled  for. 

vendunt:  some  editors  have  taken  exception  to  this, 
the   Mss.   reading,   and  have  adopted  condunt    from 


132    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Heinsius,  explaining  that  the  oysters  were  served  last. 
Condere  cenam,  however,  would  not  mean  "end  the 
meal,"  but  rather  —  if  possible  at  all  —  would  mean 
that  they  constituted  the  whole  meal.  Cf.  Verg.,  EcL, 
IX,  51  f. : 

longos 
cantando  .  .  .  condere  soles. 

Hor.,  Carm.,  IV,  5,  29 : 

condit  quisque  diem  collibus  in  suis. 

Stat.,  Theb.,  X,  54  :  condiderant  iam  vota  diem  (of  a  day 
spent  in  prayer).  The  only  piece  of  evidence  on  the 
other  side  is  Mart.,  X,  37,  9,  where  the  question  depends 
on  the  meaning  of  summa  niensa.  No  instance  of  co7i- 
dere  in  this  sense  is  quoted.  Vendunt,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  easily  explained  and  much  more  vigorous.  Hor. ,  Epp., 
II,  1,  74  f.  : 

versus  paulo  concinnior  unus  et  alter 
iniuste  totum  ducit  venditque  poema. 

and  Juv.,  VII,  135  f.  : 

purpura  vendit 
causidicum,  vendunt  amethystina. 

mean  that  the  brilliant  line  and  the  showy  attire  lend 
distinction  and  bring  success.  In  the  same  way  Petronius 
evidently  means  that  oysters  were  considered  necessary 
to  make  the  feast  acceptable.  Earth's  explanation  : 
"totarum  coenarum  pretiis  conchylia  comparantur  "  lacks 
authority  to  support  it. 


Commentary  133 

36.  Cf.  Manil.,  V,  370  : 

Numidarum  pascimur  oris 
Phasidos  et  damnis. 

Hor.,  Serrn.,  II,  2,  95  f. : 

grandes  rhombi  patinaeque 
grande  ferunt  una  cum  damno  dedecus. 

ut  renovent  'per  damna  faynem :  oysters  were  served  to 
whet  the  appetite.  Cf.  Sen.,  Epp.,  CVIII,  15.  Pe. 
tronius  scornfully  points  out  that  their  real  power  lay 
in  their  exorbitant  cost.  Cf.  Hor.,  Sertn.,  II,  2,  23- 
26.  Sen.,  Consol.  ad  Helv.,  9.  Anton,  cf.  Claud.  In 
Eutrop.,  II,  329:  qui  ventrem  invitant  pretio.  Cf .  also 
Petronius's  o^ti  lines,  quoted  on  33. 

per  damna:  cf.  86. 

Phasidos  unda:  from  the  Phasis,  at  the  eastern  end 
of  the  Black  Sea,  now  the  Rion,  came  the  aves  Phasianae, 
pheasants. 

Moessler  doubts  whether  Republican  Rome  really 
knew  pheasants,  as  the  first  reference  to  them  is  found 
in  Suet.,  Cal,  XXII. 

37.  Sen.,  H.  F.,  536 : 

mutis  taciturn 
litoribus  mare. 

Hipp.,  475:  solus  ct  acr  pervius  ventis  erit. 

39.  The  subject  changes  sharply  from  luxury  to 
political  corruption. 

Sail.,  Cat.,  3,  says  of  his  own  youth  (about  this  same 
time)  :  pro  pudore,  pro  abstinentia,  pro  virtute;  audacia, 


134    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

largitio,  avaritia  vigebant.  Cf.  Cic,  Cat.,  IV,  6,  13. 
(Quoted  on  43.)    Also  Sen.,  H.  F.,  169-174. 

Campo:  The  Campus  Martins,  where  elections  were 
held. 

Juror:  cf.  Sen.,  Hi'pp.,  541  :  im-puis  lucri  furor. 

40.  praedam:  suggests  "  spoils  "  in  its  modern  po- 
litical sense,  but  it  refers  especially  to  the  plunder  of 
conquered  provinces,  showered  on  the  Roman  populace 
in  the  form  of  shows,  largesses  of  grain  and  money  and 
bribes  of  all  sorts. 

strepitumque  lucri:  the  chink  of  money,  suffragia 
vertunt  =  suffragia  mutant  (Anton).  These  electors 
always  vote  the  "straight  ticket"  of  corruption, 
directing  their  votes  to  the  source  from  which  the 
greatest  benefits  have  flowed  in  the  past  or  promise 
to  flow  in  the  future. 

41.  venalis  .  .  .  venalis:  cf.  Jugurtha's  caustic  com- 
ment on  Rome  (Sail.,  Jug.,  35,  10)  :  urhem  venalem  .  .  . 
si  emptorem  invenerit.  With  the  connection  of  ideas  in 
this  and  the  preceding  hne,  cf.  Lucan,  I,  180  :  venali 
campo. 

curia patrum :  in  Sail. ,  Jug.,  52,  Cato  calls  the  Senators  : 
pecuniae  .  .  .  servitis.  Anton  suggested  putting  a  period 
after  curia,  making  patrum  depend  on  favor  in  the  next 
line;  a  bad  arrangement,  for,  although  it  makes  the  two 
clauses  of  41  balance  exactly,  it  limits  the  meaning  of 
favor  in  42,  which  is  evidently  meant  to  sum  up  the 
thought  of  the  last  three  lines. 

42.  favor  is  one  of  those  Janus-words  of  which  Latin 
possesses  a  considerable  number.     On  one  face  it  means 


Commentary  135 

the  support  bestowed  on  the  popular  idol;  on  the  other, 
the  influence  which  he  possesses.  Cf.  the  different 
aspects  of  fides,  o-pinio,  gratia.  Such  combinations  are 
rarer  in  EngUsh,  but  the  adjective  "grateful"  is  a  good 
example. 

senibus  =  patribus,  with  reference  to  the  origin  of  the 
word  senatus.  Cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  XI,  47  senedus  (see  on 
1-60),  and  the  Spartan  Tepova-ui,  from  yepwv. 

libera  virtus:  the  free  spirit  wliich  made  them  fit 
to  govern,  libera  virtus  excidit:  recalls  Hor.,  A.  P., 
282  :  in  vitium  libertas  excidit,  and  the  line  quoted 
on  43. 

43.  exdderat:  cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  5,  29  : 

vera  virtus,  cum  semel  excidit. 

sparsisque  opibus:  cf.  Cic,  Cat.,  IV,  6,  13  (of  the  time 
of  the  Gracchi)  :  largitionis  voluntas  turn  in  re  publica 
versatus  est.  Cf.  Suet.,  lul.,  26  ff.  and  Dio  XL,  60,  on 
Caesar's  use  of  his  Gallic  spoils. 

potestas:    the  civil  authority. 

44.  maiestas:  the  sacred  dignity  of  Rome.  This 
closes  the  series  (libera  virttis,  potestas,  maiestas)  of  at- 
tributes of  the  state  embodied  in  the  person  of  her  mag- 
istrates and  degraded  by  their  corruption.  Moessler 
would  refer  maiestas  to  foreign  dominion  in  contrast 
to  the  civil  power,  thus  making  it  =  imperium.  But 
internal  corruption,  not  misrule  abroad,  is  now  the  topic. 
Maiestas,  moreover,  does  not  denote  a  special  kind  of 
power,  but  the  highest  aspect  of  any  lawful  power 
whatsoever :  potestas,  imperium,  regnum,  or  omnipo- 
tence itself. 


136    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

45-6.  For  another  reference  to  Cato,  cf .  Ch.  137,  9, 6  : 

et  peragat  causas,  sitque  Catone  prior. 

Cato  was  defeated  for  praetor  (Plut.,  Coto  ilf inor,  42), 
and  for  consul  {ibid.,  49).  He  was  also  roughly  handled 
by  mobs  on  several  occasions  {ibid.,  28,  32,  41).  Petro- 
nius is  combining  all  these  rebuffs  into  one^  as  the  culmi- 
nation of  Roman  infamy. 

populo :  the  mob. 

tristior:  sc.  Catone.  In  this  and  pudet  Petronius  is 
projecting  into  Cato's  own  times  the  feelings  which  his 
name  later  inspired.  Beginning  with  Cicero's  pane- 
gyric, written  immediately  after  Cato's  suicide,  and  which 
Caesar  thought,  important  enough  to  answer,  he  was 
gradually  raised  to  the  position  of  patron  saint  of  repub- 
licanism and  Stoicism,  until  men  often  wrote  of  him  as 
though  even  his  contemporaries  and  enemies  had  looked 
on  him  as  a  man  apart.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VIII,  670. 
Hor.,  Carm.,  I,  12,  34  f. ;  II,  1,  24.  Lucan,  passim 
(see  Haskins's  Ed.  p.  lix).  Val.  Max.,  VII,  5,  6. 
Seneca  is  never  tired  of  eulogizing  him  as  the  ideal 
sapiens.  E.g.  de  Const.,  2 :  adversus  vitia  civitatis 
degenerantis,  et  pessum  sua  mole  sidentis,  stetit  solus  et 
cadentem  rem  puhlicam,  quantum  modo  una  retrahi  manu 
poterat,  retinuit,  donee  vel  abreptus,  vel  abstractus,  comi- 
tem  se  diu  sustentatae  ruinae  dedit,  simulque  extincta 
sunt  quae  nefas  erat  dividi,  neque  enim  Cato  post  liberta- 
fem  vixit,  nee  libertas  post  Catonem. 

victus  .  .  .  fasces  .  .  .  rapuisse:  his  defeats  at  the 
polls.    Cf .  Lucan,  I,  178  :  rapti  fasces  pretio. 


Commentary  137 

For  the  ideal  here,  cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  2,  17-20. 

47.  Moessler,  following  Brouckhusius,  holds  that  this 
line  should  be  thrown  out  as  the  marginal  note  of  some 
grammarian.  But  the  transition  from  46  to  48  —  from 
the  fact  to  the  reflection  on  it  —  without  any  connection 
would  be  intolerably  abrupt.  Nor  is  there  anything  to 
prove  that  another  connecting  Une  has  been  forced  out 
by  this  one. 

dcdecoris  populo  morumque  ruina :  public  disgrace  and 
the  overthrow  of  all  moral  standards.  With  morumque 
ruina,  Barth  cf.  Salv.  VI,  77  :  nonne  eadem  {sc.  in 
civitate)  et  rerum  ruina  pariter  et  morum  ? 

Anton  cf.  Ov.,  Her.,  XII,  32. 

Of  the  various  emendations  proposed  the  most  attrac- 
tive is  dedecus  est  populi  (Stephanus)  wliich  makes  the 
two  chiastic  pairs  of  words  parallel  also  in  construction. 

48-9.  There  is  a  suggestion  here  of  Lucan,  VII, 
264  f . : 

non  mihi  res  agitur,  sed  vos  ut  libera  sitis 
turba,  precor. 

homo  .  .  .  potestas  .  .  .  decus:  Cato  was  not  a  mere 
individual,  but  the  incarnation  of  law  and  order  and  the 
highest  ideals  of  Rome,  so  that  in  rejecting  and  insulting 
him  his  countrj-men  threw  away  safety  and  honor  as 
well.  There  is  still  no  reference  (as  Moessler  thinks) 
to  external  conditions.  From  39  on  Petronius  is 
describing  the  diseases  in  the  body  politic,  the  excesses 
abroad  which  bred  them  having  been  stated  before. 

in  uno :  in  the  person  of  one  man.     Cf .  Lucian,  lup. 


138    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Trag.,  4  :  ra  r}fj.eT€pa  iv  evl  dvSpt  KLvhvvevofJieva  (i.e. 
the  continued  existence  of  the  gods  depends  on  the 
abihty  of  Timocles  the  Stoic  to  defend  them  in  argument 
against  Damis  the  Epicurean)  and  contrast  Cic,  Cat., 
I,  5,  11 :  no7i  est  saepius  in  uno  homine  summa  salus  peric- 
litanda  rei  publicae,  where  it  meai'S  "through  the  pres- 
ence of  one  man." 

potestas :  de  Salas  would  have  this  =  libertas  because 
of  Sen.,  de  Const.,  2,  ad.  fin.  (see  on 45-46)  and  Lucan,  II, 
301-3 : 

non  ante  revellar 
exanimem  quam  te  complectar,  Roma,  tuumque 
nomen,  Libertas,  et  inanem  prosequar  umbram. 

But  while  this  parallel  might  instantly  strike  a  com- 
mentator, Petronius,  if  such  had  been  his  meaning, 
could  hardly  have  depended  on  potestas  to  convey  it  to 
the  general  reader.  However,  as  potestas  is  power  lim- 
ited by  law,  it  refers  to  the  old  repubhcan  form  of  gov- 
ernment, and  so,  in  a  certain  sense,  does  =  libertas. 

perdita:  rather  passive  than  active  :  "ruined,"  with 
"desperate  "  as  a  secondary  idea. 

50.   With  the  thought  here  cf .  Ch.  14,  2. 

quid  faciunt  leges,  ubi  sola  pecunia  regnat  ?        1. 

4:  4:  *  =<:  * 

ergo  indicium  nihil  est  nisi  pubUca  merces.         5. 
Pedo  Albinov.,  El,  I,  185 : 

iura  silent,  mutaeque  tacent  sine  vindice  leges. 


Commentary  139 

Cf .  Florus,  III,  13,  7  (misfortunes  following  the  Agrarian 
movement)  :  et  miser  a  res  publica  in  exitium  suum 
merces  erat  (Pithoeus).  Val.  Max.,  VII,  6,  4.  App., 
B.  C,  I,  55.  Dio,  XLI,  10,  1.  Calpurn.,  I,  51:  ducet 
captiva  triumphos. 

ipsa  sui  merces :  Rome  was  herself  the  reward  for  her 
own  self-destruction.  For  merces  =  prdemiwn,  de  Salas, 
cf.  Propert.,  IV,  11,  71 : 

haec  est  feminei  merces  extrema  triumphi. 

sine  vindice  praeda :  she  was  plunderer,  plundered, 
and  plunder  all  in  one.  Where  all  were  criminals  or 
victims,  there  was  no  one  left  to  be  a  champion. 

51-52.  A  metaphor  drawn  from  the  sea  and  its  ac- 
tion. The  plebs  is  like  a  neck  of  land  lying  between  two 
bodies  of  water  and  worn  away  by  the  floods  that  wash 
over  it. 

gemino  .  .  .  gurgite:  Anton  takes  this  to  mean  lux- 
ury and  avarice.  But  these  were  rather  the  curses  of  the 
wealth}^,  affecting  the  plebs  indirectly  only,  and  in  view  of 
praeterea  it  is  more  natural  to  refer  gemino  .  .  .  gurgite 
to  what  follows  :  usury  and  unpaid  debts  had  caught  a7id 
by  their  progressive  action  destroyed  the  people.  For 
gemino  =  duo,  d.  238.  Verg.,i4en.,II,  203f.;  gemini  .  .  . 
ungues  and  III,  305  :    geminas  .  .  .  aras. 

plehem:  the  Mss.  read  predam,  which  is  obviously  due 
to  confusion  with  praeda,  above.  Crusius's  emendation, 
plebem,  is  near  to  the  Mss.  and  makes  excellent  sense. 
The  succession  of  civil  wars  had  reduced  great  masses 
of  people  to  desperate  poverty.     It  was  to  them  that 


140    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Catiline  had  addressed  his  promises,  and  one  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  of  Caesar's  dictatorship  was  that  of 
legislation  for  their  rehef.  (See  Mommsen,  History  of 
Rome,  IV,  523  f.) 

deprensam :  often  used  of  being  overtaken  by  storm. 
E.g.  Verg.,  Ge.,  IV,  421 ;  Aen.,  V,  52.  Hor.,  Carm.,  II, 
16, 2  (prensus) .    The  meaning  here  is,  of  course,  differenc. 

faenoris  .  .  .  usus  ....  aeris:  cf.  Tac,  Ann.,  VI, 
16  :  sane  vetus  urbi  faenebre  malum  et  seditionum  dis- 
cordiarumque  creberrima  causa.  Aes  here  =  aes  alie- 
num.  Faenus  apparently  means  interest  on  money 
borrowed,  usus  that  on  debts  which  could  not  be  paid  off. 

illuvies:  the  floods  which  engulf  them.  Cf.  Justin,  II, 
6:  aquarum  illuvies.  For  a  similar  metaphor,  cf. 
Cic,  Cat,  II,  10,  21  (of  the  hopelessly  insolvent)  :  qui 
iam  pridem  premuntur,  qui  numquum  emergunt,  and  our 
own  use  of  "submerged"  to  describe  the  lowest  social 
stratum.  Cf.  Pers.,  Ill,  34  f.  of  a  man  morally  sub- 
merged. 

exederat :  the  ruin  wrought  by  the  faenus  is  compared 
to  the  erosive  and  corrosive  effects  of  sea-water.  Cf. 
Tac,  Ann.,  II,  27:  turn  primum  reperta  sunt  quae  per 
tot  annos  rem  publicam  exedere. 

53.  nulla  est  certa  domus :  an  echo  of  Verg.,  J. en.,  VI, 
673  :  nulli  certa  domus,  but  with  very  different  meaning, 
as  the  latter  refers  to  the  idyUic  existence  of  the  blessed 
in  Elysium,  while  this  depicts  the  financial  straits  of 
the  Romans.  Cf.  Sail,  De  R.  P.  Ordinanda.  I,  5,  13: 
eos  paulatim  expulsos  agris,  inertia  atque  inopia  incertas 
domos  habere  subegit. 


Commentary  141 

nullum  .  .  .  corpus:  cf.  Sail.,  Cat.,  33 :  miseri, 
egentes,  violentia  atque  crudelitate  faeneralorum  plerique 
patriae,  sed  omnes  Jama  atque  fortunis  expertes  sumus : 
neque  cuiquam  nostrum  licuit  more  maiorum  lege  uti, 
neque  amisso  patrimonio  liberum  corpus  habere,  tanta 
saevitia  faeneratorum  atque  praetoris  fuit. 

54-55.  The  spreading  corruption  is  described,  first 
as  a  wasting  disease,  then  as  a  ravening  beast  —  or 
rather,  the  tabes  of  the  first  metaphor  is  in  turn  made 
the  object  of  a  second  metaphor. 

tabes:  a  natural  and  frequent  comparison.  Cf. 
Sail.,  Cat.,  36  :  tajita  vis  morbi  uti  tabes  plerosque  civium 
animos  invaserat.  Jug.,  32  (almost  the  same  words). 
Livy  II,  23,  6.  Cicero  often  compares  the  CatiUnarian 
conspiracy  to  a  disease.  E.g.  Cat.,  I,  13,  31.  Cf. 
Macbeth's  words  to  the  Doctor  (V,  3,  50  ff.). 

tacitis:  "secret,"  "inmost."  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  IV, 
67  :  taciturn  vivit  sub  pectore  vulnus. 

medullis:  Ut.  "marrow"  ;  here,  as  often,  the  vitals. 

curls  latrantibus:  cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  II,  338  magnas 
latrantia  pectora  curas.  For  other  instances  of  latrare 
in  the  figurative  sense  of  "worry,"  "threaten,"  cf.  Enn., 
Ann.,  584  (Lib.  Incert.,  108).  Claud.,  In  Eutrop.,  II, 
486. 

56.  detritaque  commoda  luxu:  recalls  8,  but  with  a 
difference.  Usu  plebeio  trita  voluptas  means  that  delights 
wliich  the  masses  shared  quickly  came  to  seem  shabby 
and  commonplace  to  the  rich.  The  present  line  refers 
to  fortunes  worn  away  and  exhausted  by  the  extravagant 
demands  made  on  them. 


142    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

57.  vulneribus  reparantur:  cf.  "Antony  and  Cleo- 
patra," IV,  14  :   "with  a  wound  I  must  be  cured." 

inops  audacia  tuta  est:  Dousa,  cf.  Sail.,  Cat.,  37: 
nam  semper  in  civitate,  uis  opes  nullae  sunt,  bonis  in- 
vident,  malos  extollunt :  vetera  odere,  nova  exoptant : 
odio  suarum  rerum  mutari  omnia  student :  turba  atque 
seditionibus  sine  cura  aluntur,  quoniam  egestas  facile 
habetur  sine  damno.     (Cf.  the  references  on  59-60.) 

Horace  (Epp.,  II,  2,  26-40)  tells  the  story  of  a  soldier 
of  LucuUus  who  distinguished  himself  by  gallant  con- 
duct after  he  had  lost  all  his  money.  Reimbursed,  and 
called  upon  for  another  dangerous  piece  of  work : 

ibit  eo  quo  vis  qui  zonam  perdidit,  inquit. 

58.  Rome  was  not  only  caught  in  a  slough,  but  so 
stupefied  as  to  be  unconscious  of  her  peril.  This  was  the 
next  stage  after  that  described,  51-52,  and  would  have 
been  the  last,  had  she  not  been  aroused  in  time  to  save 
herself  from  being  completely  engulfed.  It  will  be  seen 
that  here  and  in  the  next  two  lines  the  war  is  repre- 
sented, not  as  completing  the  ruin  of  Rome,  but  as  a 
desperate  remedy  for  her  condition. 

hoc  mersam  caeno :  cf .  Ch.  88,  6  :  at  7ios  vino  scortisque 
deniersi.  Florus,  III,  12,  7  :  illae  opes  atque  divitiae 
adflixere  saeculi  mores;  mersamque  vitiis  suis,  quasi 
sentina,  rem  publicam  pessum  dedere  (Pithoeus) .  P.  L. 
M.,  XLIII,  82  (ascribed  to  Petronius)  : 

non  satis  est  quod  nos  mergit  furiosa  iuventas  ? 

(Wernsdorff). 


Commentary  143 

Lactant.,  \T,  23,  8  :  animas  .  .  .  velut  in  caeni  givrgite 
demersit.  VII,  6,  2.  Also  Claud.,  de  Raptu  Proserp.,  Ill, 
28  f.  Lucr.,  V,  1008  ;  and  the  references  to  Cicero  and 
Persius  on  51-52. 

59-60.  Cf.  Lucan,  I,  182  :  7nidtis  utile  helium.  Suet., 
lul.,  27  :  turn  reorum  aut  obaeratorum,  aut  prodigae 
iuventutis  subsidium  unicum  ac  promptissimum  erat :  nisi 
quos  gravior  criminum,  vel  inopiae  luxuriaeve  vis  urgeret, 
quam  ut  svbveniri  posset  a  se :  his  plane  palam  'bello 
civili  opus  esse'  dicehat.  Cf.  Cic.  Cat.,  II,  9,  20  (of 
Sulla's  veterans)  ;  III,  10,  25:  lexhaecfuit  .  .  .  consti- 
tuta,  ut  omnes  qui  salva  urbe  salvi  esse  possent,  in 
hostium  nuniero  ducerentur. 

Sana  ratione  viovere  =  sanare,  by  a  shock  which  would 
startle  Rome  out  of  her  lethargy.  Cf.  Cic,  Cat.,  II, 
5,  11.  Moessler  wishes  to  connect  sana  ratione  with 
poterant:  "ita  ut  artium  vis  nan  re  vera  esse  explorata, 
sed  sanae  eorum  rationi,  quos  appellat  auctor,  exploranda 
relinqui  perhibeatur,"  and  further  elucidates  his  point 
by  summarizing  the  passage  as  follows :  "Romam 
accepisti  quails  fuisset.  iam  suscitandae  eius  potestatem 
ac  vim  quibus,  praeterquam  bello  civili,  artibus,  sanam 
secutus  rationem  trihueris?  But  this,  surely,  is  to  deal 
with  Petronius  as  a  German  professor,  not  a  Roman 
satirist. 

libido:   the  lust  of  blood. 

61-66.  The  idea  contained  in  these  lines  was  also  used 
with  reference  to  the  fate  of  Pompey  and  his  two  sons,  in 
which  form  it  was  a  favorite  with  the  poets  of  the  Em- 
pire.    Cf.  Mart.,  V,  74  : 


144    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Pompeios  iuvenes  Asia  atque  Europa,  sed  ipsuin 
terra  tegit  Libyae,  si  tamen  uUa  tegit. 
quid  mirum  toto  si  spargitur  orbe  ?  iacere 
uno  non  poterat  tanta  ruina  loco. 
Odavia,   502-504,   517-524,  827.    Anth.   Lat,   400- 
403.    Moessler  finds  in  these  lines  only  a  reflection  on  the 
fates  of  the  Triumvirs,  and  no  hint  of  their  parts — espe- 
cially that  of  Crassus — in  precipitating  the  war.     He 
accordingly  decides  that  this  was  an  epigram  by  Petro- 
nius, which  has,  in  some  unexplained  way,  crept  into 
the  poem.     But  the  connection  of  the  Triumvirs  with 
the  war  was  not  only  well  known  to  history,  but  so  fre- 
quently  mentioned  in  poetry  that   the   mere   epithet 
duces,  61,  would,  in  this  context,  be   a  sufficient  re- 
minder.    Cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  II,  1,  1  f.  : 

motum  ex  Metello  consule  civicum 
bellique  causas  et  vitia  et  modos. 
(Q.  Caecilius  Metellus  Celer  was  Consul  60  b.c,  the  year 
in  which  the  First  Triumvirate  was  formed.) 

Lucan,  I.,  98  ff.: 
temporis  angusti  mansit  concordia  discors, 
paxque  fuit  non  sponte  ducum.    nam  sola  futuri 
Crassus  erat  beUi  medius  mora.  100. 

****** 

sic  ubi  saeva  103. 

arma  ducum  dirimens  miserando  fimere  Crassus 
Assyrias  Latio  maculavit  sanguine  Carras, 
Parthica  Romanos  solverunt  damna  furores, 
plus  iUa  vobis  acie  quam  creditis  actum  est, 


Commentary  145 

Arsacidae  :  bellum  victis  civile  dedistis. 
dividitur  ferro  regnum  :  populique  potentis 
quae  mare  quae  terras  quae  totum  continet  orbem, 
non  cepit  fortuna  duos. 

There  is  nothing  unnatural  in  the  brief  paragraph,  — 
especially  in  a  work  which  lacks  the  last-  touches,  —  if  we 
take  it  as  introducing  the  human  agents  of  the  struggle, 
placed  between  the  undistinguished  crowd  of  mortals, 
and  the  gods  who  were  to  share  in  it.  It  is  possible,  how- 
ever, that  Petronius  wrote  it  after  the  rest  of  the  poem 
and  inserted  it  here  without  taking  the  trouble  to  ad- 
just it  perfectly  to  its  surroundings. 

61.  tulerat:  "brought  forth."  Cf.  Hor.,  Cam.,  Ill, 
6,  46  f . 

aetas  parentum,  peior  avis,  tulit 
nos  nequiores. 

Tac,  Ann.,  Ill,  55,  6.     Ociavia,  827. 

Fortuna:  the  first  introduction  of  the  power  which, 
in  the  succeeding  passage,  precipitates  the  war.  The 
three  leaders  are  her  true  sons,  as  is  shown  by  the  ex- 
tremes of  good  and  ill  bestowed  on  them.  Cf .  Lucan  on 
Pompey  (see  Introd.,  p.  74). 

62.  armorwn  strue:  "in  war's  destruction."  Strues 
(struere)  graphically  pictures  the  slaughter  and  the 
scattered  and  heaped-up  bodies  of  the  fallen,  but  must 
not  be  taken  too  exactly,  as  none  of  the  tres  duces  actu- 
ally fell  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Erinys:  this,  and  not  Eriyo,  seems  to  be  the  reading 
required  by  the  Mss.    But  whichever  is  read,  the  mean- 

L 


146    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

ing  is  the  same  :  "the  demon  of  civil  strife."  Roman 
poets  were  fond  of  evoking  the  powers  of  evil  (see  on 
96  f.),  but  rarely  took  the  trouble  to  distinguish  care- 
fully between  them. 

63.  Crassum:  M.  Licinius  Crassus,  the  conqueror  of 
Spartacus,  killed  by  the  Parthians,  53  b.c,  after  the 
annihilation  of  his  army  at  Carrhae. 

Parthus:   see  on  Romanus,  1. 

habet:  "holds,"  "keeps."  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  556: 
(te)  pontus  habet  Libyae.  IV,  633  : 

namque  suam  (sc.  nutricem)  patria  antiqua  cinis  ater 
habebat. 

Libyco  .  .  .  aequore :  on  the  sands  of  Egypt.  Pompey 
was  murdered  at  Pelusium,  whither  he  had  fled  after 
the  battle  of  Pharsalus,  48  B.C.,  by  the  Egyptian  general 
Achillas  and  the  renegade  Roman  Septimius,  formerly 
one  of  his  own  officers.  His  head  was  kept  for  Caesar; 
his  body,  cast  out  of  the  boat  in  which  he  had  left  his 
galley,  and  washed  ashore,  was  given  "maimed  rites" 
of  burial  by  a  faithful  frcedman.  His  ashes  were  after- 
wards transferred  to  Rome,  and  nearly  two  centuries 
later  the  little  Egyptian  tomb  was  restored  by  Hadrian. 
Cf.  Lucan,  VIII,  536  — .  Plut.,  Pomp.,  80  (a  detailed 
and  pathetic  account).  App.,  B.  C,  II,  86.  Vel.  Pat., 
2,  53,  3  f . ;  ending  :  tantuni  in  illo  viro  a  se  discordante 
Fortuna,  ut  cui  modo  ad  vidoriam  terra  defuerat,  deesset 
ad  se-pidturam.  Anth.  Gr.,  IX,  402  (Hadrian's  epitaph 
on  Pompey)  : 

T<p  vaots  (SpiOovTL  TTOcrrj  (TTravts  tTrXcTO  TVfi(3ov. 


Commentary  147 

Ayith.  Lat.,  404  (corrupt,  but  to  the  same  purpose). 
Juvenal,  X,  283-288,  has  some  characteristic  reflections 
on  his  fate. 

64.  The  rhetorical  historians  speak  of  Caesar's 
murder  in  much  the  same  terms.  Vel.  Pat.,  II,  57,  1 : 
laudandum  experientia  consilium  est  Pansae  atque  Hirtii, 
qui  semper  praedixerant  Caesari  ut  principatum  armis 
quaesitum  armis  teneret.  Ille  dictitans  mori  se,  quam 
timeri,  malle,  dum  clementiam  quam  praestiterat,  exspedat, 
incautus  ah  ingratis  occupatus  est.  Florus,  IV,  2,  7  ;  95: 
sic  ille  qui  terrarum  orhem  civili  sanguirie  impleverat, 
tandem  ipse  sanguine  suo  curiam  implevit. 

66.  This  conceit  of  the  distribution  of  weight  is 
characteristic  of  the  tendency  of  the  time  to  drag  in 
scientific  and  pseudo-scientific  ideas  on  all  occasions. 
See  Introd.,  p.  23. 

gloria:  "  pro  ambitione  et  iiiani  studio  famae  ponitur, 
quam  poetae  ut  numen  a  militarihus  viris  cultam  saepe 
inducunt,  qvxie  ad  quaevis  stimulat  el  postea  hanc  mer- 
cedem  reddit."     (Burmann.) 

reddit:  expressive,  as  it  means  to  render  what  is  due 
or  customary. 

67-75.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  237  ff.  Ov.,  Met.,  IV, 
432-438.  Sen.,  Tro.,  182-184 ;  H.  F.,  664^667,  698-706. 
Sil.  Ital.,  XII,  120  ff. 

67.  est  locus :  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  530,  and  Stat.,  Theb.,  II, 
32,  begin  with  the  same  words.  The  place  was  the  Phle- 
graei  Campi,  between  Vesuvius  and  Lake  Avernus 
(Vitruv.,  II,  6,  2.  Plin.  (see  on  68).  Diod.,  IV,  21. 
Strabo,  V,  8,  p.  247),  so  often  described  by  the  poets 
(see  preceding  note). 


148    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

hiatu:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  237  f. : 

spelunca  alta  fuit  vastoque  immanis  hiatu 
scrupea. 

Sil.  Ital.,  XII,  126-128 : 

hinc  vicina  palus  (fama  est  Acherontis  ad  undas 
pandere  iter)  caecas  stagnante  voragine  fauces 
laxat,  et  horrendos  aperit  telluris  hiatus. 

68.  Parthenopen  .  .  .  Dicarchidos  arva:  Naples  and 
Puteoli.  Plin.,  Ill  9,  9  :  dein  Puteoli  colonia  Dichae- 
archia  didi:  postque  Phlegraei  Campi,  Acherusia  palus 
Cumis  vicina.  litore  autem  Neapolis  Chalcidensium,  et 
ipsa  Parthenope  a  tumulo  Sirenis  appellata. 

69.  Cocyti  .  .  .  aqua:  cf.  Sil.  Ital,  XII,  116  f . : 

ast  hie  Lucrino  mansisse  vocabula  quondam 
Cocyti  memorat. 

cf.  103  and  278. 

70.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  240  f. : 

tahs  sese  halitus  atris 
faucibus  effundens  supera  ad  convexa  ferebat. 

Sil.  Ital.,  XII,  123  f .  (Avernus) : 

letale  vomebat 
suffuso  virus  caelo. 

71.  Autumno:  probably  corrupt.  It  is  a  strange 
word  to  associate  especially  mth  viret,  and  the  single  aut 
in  the  sentence  suggests  that  another  is  hidden  in  this 
word.    Therefore,  while  Moessler's  non  haec  aut  porno 


Commentary  149 

tcllus  nibet  does  not  commend  itself,  it  seems  probable 
that  some  noun,  not  referring  directly  to  a  season,  but 
appropriate  in  sense  to  viret,  is  concealed  in  the  second 
part  of  Autumno,  and  that  the  present  opposition  of 
Autumno  and  verno  .  .  .  cantu  is  not  the  work  of  the 
poet,  but  the  result  of  an  attempt  to  emend  what  had 
already  become  corrupt. 

72-73.  laetus:  "luxuriant."  Cf.  the  common  ex- 
pression, laeta  seges. 

persona:    see  Introd.,  p.  53. 

cantu:  the  song  of  birds  swarming  in  the  under- 
gro^-th  on  their  return  from  the  South.  Cf  Lucr.  I, 
256: 

frondiferasque  novis  avibus  canere  undique  silvas. 

Most  commentators  say  that  the  whispering  of  the 
leaves  themselves  is  meant,  citing  Calpurn.,  VIII, 
30  :    vento  garrula  pinus,  and  Auson.,  Epp.,  29,  13  f. : 

est  et  arundineis  modulatis  musica  ripis 

cumque  suis  loquitur  tremulum  coma  pinea  ventis. 

But  on  the  other  hand  there  is  the  well-known  character 
of  Avernus  (aopvos).  Cf.  Lucr.,  VI,  738  ff.  Verg., 
Aen.,  VI,  2.37  ff.  Sil.  Ital.,  XII,  123:  (Avernus) 
formidatus  volucri.  Strabo,  V,  p.  244.  Verno,  more- 
over, is  more  appropriate  to  this  meaning,  as  bare  twigs 
and  dry  rushes  can  whisper  in  the  wind  too.  Discordi 
slrepitu  suggests  the  myriad  singing  and  twittering  of 
birds  of  many  kinds  —  opvidtav  TvtTe-qvtiiv  idvea  ttoXXo. 
—  rather  than  the  unvarying  response  of  the  leaves  to 


150    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

the  wind.     In  57-58,  too,  where  the  leaves  alone  are 
left,  Petronius  says  mutoque  in  litore. 

74.  Pliny  {Epp.,  VI,  16,  11),  describing  the  eruption 
of  Vesuvius  which  destroyed  Pompeii  (79  a.d.)  says : 
iam  pumices  etiam,  nigrique  et  ambusti  et  fradi  igne 
lapides.  What  Petronius  pictures  here  is  ground 
blasted  by  old  eruptions,  but  yielding  in  part  to  wild 
and  irregular  growths  of  vegetation  (75). 

75.  gaudent :  refers  to  the  abandon  with  which  chaos 
has  seized  on  the  region,  admitting  no  living  thing  to  its 
domain  but  the  funereal  cypresses  which  struggle  up 
through  the  heaps  of  blackened  rock.  For  gaudere  used 
of  things  without  sense,  cf.  Verg.,  EcL,  IX,  48  :  segetes 
gatderent  fnigibus.  Mart.,  XIII,  16.  Phn.,  H.  N.,  XII, 
33;  XIX,  39,  2. 

ferali  .  .  .  cupressu:  because  used  at  funerals. 
This  custom  was  probably  due  to  its  dark  foliage,  but 
was  explained  by  the  ancients  themselves  by  its  unfruit- 
fulness,  and  by  the  fact  that,  once  cut  down,  it  never 
sprouted  again  (Serv.,  ad  Aen.,  VI,  216).  For  the  myth 
of  Cyparissus,  who  grieved  himself  to  death  over  the 
accidental  killing  of  a  pet  stag,  and  was  changed  into 
a  cypress  by  Apollo,  see  Ov.,  Met.,  X,  106-142. 

circum  tumulata:  '  tumulorum  instar  saxa  toto  campo 
(id  est  enim  circum)  exsurgunt"  (Moessler). 

76.  Ditis:  cf.  Quintil.,  I,  6,  34.  Serv.,  ad  Aen.,  VI, 
273  :  dicimus  autem  et  hie  Dis  et  hie  Ditis.  For  similar 
forms,  cf.  Petr.,  Ch.  47,  4;  and  58,  2  (lovis)  ;  62,  13 
(bovis) ;  Ace.  (in  Prise,  VI,  p.  695  K)  :  abietem  exurat 
lovis. 


Commentary  151 

extulit  ora :  cf .  272  : 

extulit  ad  superos  Stygium  caput  (Discordia). 

77.  Cf.  Ov.,  A.  A.,  II,  440  :  summo  canet  in  igne  cinis. 
sparsa:      a    zeugma.     With    flammis,     "scorched" 

must  be  understood.  Boissier,  L'Opposition  sous  les 
Cesars,  p.  245,  translates  :  "Pluton,  .  .  .-  le  visage  noirci 
par  la  flamme  des  bilchers,  la  harhe  blanche  de  cendres^ 

78.  volucrem  Fortunam:  cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  29, 
53  f.: 

si  celeres  quatit 
pinnas. 

Sen.,  Hipp.,  1143  :  velox  Fortuna. 
She  was  represented  with  wings.     Plut.,  de  Fort.  Rom., 
317  F-318  A,  speaks  of  her  laying  them  aside  on  the 
Palatine  (the  Fortuna  Augusti). 

79.  Potestas:    cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  X,  18: 

o  pater,  o  hominum  rerumque  aeterna  potestas. 

In  Juv.,  X,  100  : 

an  Fidenarum  Gabiorumque  ess   potestas. 

the  word  is  used  of  a  civil  magistrate  (cf.  Ital.  po- 
destd) .  This  ascription  of  unlimited  power  to  Chance  is 
characteristically  Epicurean,  but  perhaps  even  more 
characteristically  poetical.  The  Stoic  Lucan  allows 
Fortuna  to  control,  or  appear  to  control,  most  of  the 
action  of  the  Pharsalia  (see  Haskins's  Ed.,  p.  li). 

80.  This  line  is  omitted  by  most  of  the  Mss.  and  by 
the  First  and  Second  Editions.  But  ending,  as  it  does, 
in  a  repetition  of  potestas,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  it  might 


152    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

have  been  overlooked  by  a  copyist,  while  in  its  favor, 
as  Moessler  points  out,  is  its  echo  of  Lucan's  summisque 
negatum  stare  diu  (I,  70).  Such  repetitions,  moreover, 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  as  disagreeable  to  Roman 
ears  as  they  are  to  ours.  Cf.  Lucr.,  I,  66  f.  {contra  .  .  . 
contra).  Ill,  429  f.  {movetur  .  .  .  movetur).  V,  680  f. 
{noctes  .  .  .  nodes).  Verg.,  Aen.,  VII,  653  f.  {esset .  .  . 
esset).  Lucan,  II,  143  f.  (nocentes  .  .  .  nocentes).  Sil. 
Ital.,  XII,  221  f.  {alter  .  .  .  alter),  —  all  of  which  can 
be  defended  on  some  rhetorical  grounds,  or  be  excused 
by  the  lack  of  ultima  manus,  but  nevertheless  strike 
the  modern  reader  unpleasantly. 

Fors:  cf.  Enn.,  Ann.,  VI,  197:  Era  Fors.  It  was 
the  older  name  of  the  goddess,  afterwards  combined 
with  its  derivative,  Fors  Fortuna,   or  Fortuna  alone. 

81.   Pithoeus,  cf.  Menander  : 

'fl  IxerafSoXoLS  xciLpovaa  TravTOiats  tvxt]- 

(Ed.  Meinecke,  Incert.  Fab.,  63). 

82-83  :  cf.  Calpurn.,  I,  84  :  Romanae  pondera  molis. 
Sen.,  de  Const.,  2,  vitia  civitatis  .  .  .  pessum  sua  mole 
sidentis. 

perituram:   see  notes  on  19. 

84-85.  Cf.  Liv.,  Praefatio,  4  :  haec  nova,  quibiis  iam 
pridem  praevalentis  populi  vires  se  ipsae  conficiunt. 
Propert.,  Ill,  13,  60 : 

frangitur  ipsa  suis  Roma  superba  bonis. 

Hor.,  Epod.,  VII,  9  f. : 


Commentary  153 

ut  secundum  vota  Parthorum  sua 
urbs  haec  periret  dextera  ? 

XVI,  1  f. : 

altera  iam  teritur  bellis  civilibus  aetas, 
suis  et  ipsa  Roma  viribus  ruit. 

Sen.,  Tro.,  14;  Hipp.,  481;  Again.,  87-89.  Odavia, 
519  f. 

struxit  opes :  cf.  Hor.,  Cam.,  II,  18,  19:  struts  domos. 

86.  luxuriam  spoliorum :  Cicero's  orations  m  Ferrem 
give  us  an  idea  of  what  these  two  words  cover. 

censum  in  dannia  furentem :  wealth  run  mad  to  its  own 
destruction.  Cf.  Sen.,  Controv.,  II,  9  {pro  adoptando, 
Fabiani  Papirii)  :  in  sua  damna  validiora  ;  Sen.,  Epp., 
XCV,  26  :  nobilem  patinam,  in  quam  quicquid  apud 
lautos  solet  diem  ducere,  properans  in  damnum  suum 
popina  congesserat  (Barth). 

Manil.    IV,  11  : 

et  summum  census  pretium  est  effundere  censum. 

Cf .  per  damna,  36  ;  Ch.  89,  14  :  mens  semper  in  damnum 
potens. 

87-93.  The  scale  on  which  man  was  reshaping  in- 
animate nature  to  serve  his  ambition  or  his  luxury 
made  a  profound  impression  on  thinking  Romans.  Cf. 
Sen.,  Cmitrov.,  II,  9,  11.  Plin.,  H.  N.,  XXXVI,  1,  1  ff. 
lapidum  natura  restat,  hoc  est,  praecipua  morum  insania 
...  2.  caedimus  hos  (mantes),  trahimusque  nihil  alia, 
quam  deliciarum  causa,  quos  transcendisse  quoque  minim 
fuit.     in  portento  prope  maiores  habuere  Alpes  ah  Han- 


154    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

nibale  exsuperatas  .  .  .  nunc  ipsae  caeduntur  in  mille 
genera  marmorum.  promuntoria  aperiuntur  mari,  et 
rerum  natura  agitur  in  planum,  evehimus  ea,  quae  sepa- 
randis  gentibus  pro  terminis  constituta  erant,  navesque 
marmorum  causa  fiunt :  ac  per  fluctus,  saevissimam  rerum 
naturae  partem,  hue  illuc  portantur  iuga  .  .  .  caeloque 
proximae  rupes  cavantur,  ut  ibatur  glade}  3.  secum 
quisque  cogitet,  cum  pretia  horum  audiat,  cum  vehi  tra- 
hique  moles  videat,  quam  sine  his  multorum  fuerit  be- 
atior  vita :  ista  facere,  immo  verius  pati  mortales,  quos 
ob  usus,  quasve  ad  voluptates  alias,  nisi  ut  inter  maculas 
lapidum  iaceantf  Sen.,  7"%.,  455-460;  Hipp.,  A97- 
499. 
87.  Cf.  Ch.  135,  8  : 

non  Indum  fulgebat  ebur,  quod  inhaeserat  auro, 
nee  iam  calcato  radiabat  marmore  terra 
muneribus  delusa  suis. 

aedificant  auro:  commentators  have  seen  in  this  a 
reference  to  the  Golden  House  of  Nero  (Suet.,  Nero,  31)  ; 
but  the  use  of  gold  in  splendid  decorations  is  repeatedly 
mentioned  by  earlier  poets.  Lucr.,  II,  23-28.  Verg., 
Aen.,  I,  726.    Hor.,  Carm.,  II,  18,  1-5.    Manil.,  V,  508. 

ad  sidera:  cf.  Sail.,  Cat.,  12  f.  :  operae  pretium  est, 
cum  domos  atque  villas  cognoveris  in  urbium  modum 
exaedificatas,  visere  templa  deorum,  quae  nostri  maiores, 
religiosissimi  mortales,  fecere.  Sen.,  Controv.,  II,  9  (see 
on  87-93).    Sen.,  Epp.,  XC,  7. 

1  Crystal  was  believed  to  be  petrified  ice. 


Commentary  155 

88.  Cf.  Sail.,  Cat.,  13 :  nam  quid  ea  memorem,  quae 
nisi  eis  qui  videre  nemini  credibilia  sunt,  a  privatis  com- 
pluribus  subversos  montis,  niaria  constrata  esse?  Tibull., 
II,  3,  45  f.  Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  1,  33  f. ;  A.  P.,  63-68. 
Sen.,  Thy.,  459  f. 

The  harbors  at  Ostia,  the  canals  connecting  the 
Lucrine  Lake  and  Lake  Avemus  with  the  sea,  and  the 
moles  running  out  into  the  water  at  Baiae,  and  sup- 
porting ^^Ilas,  were  all  examples  of  these  great  con- 
structions.    Cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  II,  161-164 : 

an  memorem  portus  Lucrinoque  addita  claustra 
atque  indignatum  magnis  stridoribus  aequor, 
lulia  qua  ponto  longe  sonat  unda  refuso 
Tyrrhenoque  fretis  inmiittitur  aestus  Avernis  ? 

(See  Suet.,  Aug.,  16.) 
Hor.,  Carm.,  II,  18,  19-22  : 

struis  domos 
marisque  Baiis  obstrepentis  urgues 

summovere  litora, 
parum  locuples  continente  ripa. 

For  Nero's  undertakings,  cf.  Suet.,  Nero,  31.   Tac,  Ann., 
XV,  42,  1. 

The  debris  of  the  great  fire  at  Rome  was  shipped 
down  the  Tiber  to  fill  in  the  marshes  about  Ostia.  The 
description  of  the  villa  of  Pollius  Felix  at  Surrentum 
(Stat.,  Silv.,  II,  2)  gives  an  idea  of  the  scale  on  which 
private  constructions  were  carried  out.  Cf.  also  Sen., 
Excerpt.  Controv.,  V,  5,  pt.  1. 


156    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

On  the  subject  of  fish-ponds,  cf.  Varro,  R.  R.,  Ill,  17, 
2  ff.     Colum,  VIII,  16  f. 

89.  rebellant:  the  subject  understood  is  Romani,  as 
with  aedificant,  87.  Cf.  Tac,  Ann.,  XV,  42, 1  (of  Nero's 
engineers)  :  ingenium  et  audacia  erat  etiam  qiuxe  natura 
denegavisset  per  artem  temptare. 

90.  mea  regna:   cf.  II.,  20,  61-65  : 

ISetcrev  S'  virevepOev  ava^  iv£p(DV,  'AiScuvet?, 
SetVas  8'  £K  dpovov  aAro,  Kat  ta;(e,  //,?;  ot  virepdc 
■yauxv  avapp-q^ut  IlocreiSaajv  cvocrt^^^ajv, 
oiKt'a  8e  OvqToicTL  koX  aOavdroLcn  (jiavcir) 
<T/xep8aAe",  cvpcuevra,  rare  (TTvyeoiXTi  OeoiTrep. 

91-92.  (perfossa)  .  .  .  moUbus  insanis:  "(hollowed) 
by  the  removal  of  enormous  masses  of  rock."  Cf.  Sen., 
Epp.,  XC,  25 :  quid  (loquar)  lapideas  moles  .  .  . 
quibus  porticus  et  capacia  populorum  tecta  suscipimus? 

insanis:  means  not  only  "enormous,"  but  "extrav- 
agant."    Cf.  Hor.,  Serm.,  II,  2,  5 : 

cum  stupet  insanis  acies  fulgoribus. 

montibus  haustis  antra  geniunt:  the  mountains  are 
drained  of  their  marble,  as  though  it  were  only  so  much 
water  to  be  dipped  out,  and  the  subterranean  caverns  — 
Dis  speaks  from  his  own  point  of  view  —  rumble  and 
groan  as  the  attack  comes  nearer  and  their  walls  grow 
thinner. 

For  gemunt,  cf.  Val.  Flacc,  VI,  168  f. : 

ipse  rotis  gemit  intus  ager,  tremebundaque  pulsu 
nutat  humus. 


Commentary  157 

Claud.,  Ill  Cons  Hon.,  196  : 

ignifluisque  gemit  Lipare  fumosa  cavernis. 

Trag.  reads  mistris;  Moessler,  montibus  haustis 
claustra  gemunt:  "de  moenibus  .  .  .  Orci,  excisione 
montium  concussis  ac  rimas  agentibus." . 

vanos  .  .  .  usus:  useless  uses.  Varius  is  so  com- 
mon an  epithet  of  marble  {e.g.  Hor.,  Serm.,  II,  4,  83  : 

ten  lapides  varios  lutulenta  radere  palma  ? 

Sen.,  Controv.,  II,  9  :  varius  ilk  .  .  .  lapis.  Sen.,  Thy., 
647: 

variis  columnae  nobiles  maculis) 

that  at  first  sight  one  is  tempted  to  adopt  it  here.  But 
the  weight  of  Mss.  evidence  is  in  favor  of  vanos  (with 
the  slight  change  of  usus  for  usuni,  Delbenius),  and 
from  the  point  of  view  of  style  vanos  lapis  invenit  usus 
is  distinctly  better  than  varius  lapis  invenit  usum. 

Moessler  would  have  lapis  =  gems,  which  are  not 
in  question  here. 

93.  Cf.  Sen.,  Oed.,  570  f. ;  Thy.,  804-806 ;  //.  F., 
50-52,  55  f.,  282  f.,  566-568.  injerni  manes:  the  shades 
of  the  dead. 

caelum:  includes,  beside  the  sky,  sunlight,  and  the 
open  air,  which  were  often  identified  in  the  minds  of  the 
ancients.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,  600 :  caeli  spirabile 
lumen. 

sperare  fatentur:  the  hope  of  enjoying  the  light  and 
air  once  more  had  grown  so  strong  in  the  shades  that 


158    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

they  were  emboldened  to  declare  it  —  a  sure  sign  that 
they  were  on  the  verge  of  rebellion  against  their  tyrant, 
believing  his  power  to  be  threatened.  The  dead  never 
ceased  to  yearn  for  the  air  which  they  no  longer  breathed, 
and  the  sun  to  which  they  had  said  farewell  (cf,  Od.,  XI, 
488  ff.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  436  f.  The  heroes  of  Greek 
tragedy  regularly  bid  farewell  to  the  sun  before  their 
deaths).  The  powers  of  Hades,  on  the  other  hand, 
loved  darkness  and  hated  Hght  (cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  II,  260  f. ; 
V,  356,  and  see  notes  to  90,  above).  The  shades,  it  is 
true,  are  commonly  represented  as  dreading  a  sudden 
flood  of  sunshine  {e.g.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VIII,  246.  Ov.,  Met., 
V,  358.  Sen.,  H.  F.,  292  f. ;  SU.  Ital,  XII,  129),  as 
would  anyone  long  confined  in  darkness,  but  that  would 
not  prevent  their  haiUng  with  joy  the  prospect  of  an 
ultimate  release  and  return  to  it. 

fatentur:  is  not  uncommonly  used  to  mean  "declare," 
with  only  a  secondary  idea  of  some  motive  for  reticence 
{e.g.  Juv.,  Ill,  59  ;  X,  172  ;  XV,  132).  Here  it  is  suf- 
ficiently explained  by  the  fact  that  such  an  admission 
would  be  considered  seditious  by  Dis. 

In  support  of  the  reading  iubentur,  one  striking  ver- 
bal parallel  is  cited  :  quid  me  caelum  sperare  iubebasf 
(Verg.,  Ge.,  IV,  325),  but  in  the  face  of  the  overwhelm- 
ing majority  of  Mss.  in  favor  of  fatentur  —  a  reading 
satisfactory  in  itself  —  this  is  not  sufficient  reason  for 
adopting  it. 

Seneca,  it  may  be  noted,  is  very  fond,  in  his  tragedies, 
of  references  to  breaking  open  the  House  of  Hades,  e.g. 
Oed.,  570  f. ;    Thj.,  804-806 ;   H.  F.,  50  ff.,  566-568. 


Commentary  159 

94.  in  proelia,  i.e.  change  to  a  look  suitable  for  battle. 

95.  cie:  cf.  135. 

funera:  used  for  the  dead  who  were  to  swell  the  num- 
ber of  his  subjects. 

96-97.  Dis  bathes  his  face,  Tisiphone  her  whole  body, 
in  the  blood  of  the  slain.  In  120  she  also  devours  their 
flesh. 

7nea :  Dis  finds  the  fiend  a  creature  after  his  own 
heart. 

sitientis:   "parched." 

perluit:   cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  Ill,  173;   IV,  310. 

The  Furies  were  sometimes  limited  to  three :  AUecto, 
Megaera,  and  Tisiphone,  the  last  being  the  most  ter- 
rible. The  Roman  writers  always  represent  them  under 
their  most  loathsome  aspect,  never  as  the  idealized 
Eumenides  of  Athens. 

98.  Sullanus  .  .  .  ensis:  the  sword  of  Sulla.  The 
figurative  language  is  used  with  quite  modern  feeUng. 

bibit:   cf.  Verg.,  Aeyi.,  II,  600: 

iam  flammae  tulerint  inimicus  et  hauserit  ensis. 

XI,  804  (hasta)  : 

haesit  virgineumque  alte  bibit  acta  cruorem. 

Ov.,  Tr.,  Ill,  11,  57.  Sen.,  de  Clem.  I,  12 :  quis  .  .  . 
umqvxim  tyrannus  tarn  avide  humanum  sanguinem  bibit, 
quam  ille  qui  septem  milia  civium  Romanorum  contru- 
cidare  iussit  {i.e.  Sulla)  ? 

The  massacres  of  Sulla  had  set,  as  it  were,  a  standard 
in  slaughter,  and  the  Roman  mind  always  reverted  to 


160    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

them  in  times  of  civil  peril.  Cf.,  e.g.,  Cic,  Cat.,  II,  9,  20. 
Caesar  (in  Cic,  ad  Atticum,  IX,  7,  c)  :  L.  Sullani,  quern 
imitaturus  non  sum.  Lucan,  I,  580  ff.,  makes  the  shades 
of  Marius  and  Sulla  rise  to  give  warning  of  the  impend- 
ing struggle. 

horrida  tellus:  horrida  is  proleptic,  referring  to  the 
fruges  of  the  next  line.  Anton  says,  horrcns  aristis, 
and  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill,  198  f. : 

timi  segetes  altae  campique  natantes 
lenibus  horrescunt  flatibus. 
Burmann,  who  omits  et,  against  the  Mss.,  reconunends 
sordida,   i.e.   madefacta  sanguine   belli,   to  restore   the 
meter. 

99.  nutritos  sanguine  fruges:  this  unpleasant  idea 
was  a  famiUar  one  to  the  ancients.  Cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I, 
491  f.    Ov.,  Her.,  I,  1,  53  f. : 

iam  seges  est  ubi  Troia  fuit,  resecandaque  falce 
luxuriat  Phrygio  sanguine  pinguis  humus. 

Plut.,  Marius,  21.     Serv.,  ad  Aen.,  XII,  119. 

100.  This  line  consists  of  two  Vergilian  hemistichs. 
Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  790  ;  VI,  628  ;  VII,  323  ;  XII,  81 ; 
441;  VIII,  164;  and  1,408.  Petr.,  Ch.  61,  5.  For 
similar  expressions,  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  408.  Ov.,  Met, 
VI,  447  f.     Livy,  III,  61,  7  ;  VII,  33,  11. 

The  hand-clasp  was  intended  as  the  pledge  of  their 
compact. 

101.  Dis  apparently  fails  to  clasp  the  hand  of  For- 
tuna,  but  the  effort  opens  a  new  fissure  in  the  ground 
where  the  interview  is  taking  place.    His  failure  is 


Commentary  161 

probably  due  to  the  fickle  and  elusive  character  of  the 
goddess,  who  slips  from  his  grasp  as  ghosts  from  the 
hands  of  men  (cf.  11.,  XXIII,  99  f.;  Oct.,  XI,  253  ff. 
Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  792  ff.).  The  rending  of  the  earth  shows 
the  tremendous  power  in  every  motion  the  god  makes. 
rwpto  tellurem  solvit  hiatu:  cf.  Sen.,  Thy.,  88  :  tellure 
rupta.    The  same  words,  Odavia,  135,  595.     728  f. : 

diducta  subito  patuit  ingenti  mihi 
tellus  hiatu. 

102.  Fortuna  levi  .  .  .  pedore :  cf .  244  :  Fortuna 
levis. 

103.  Cocyti  penetralia:   the  regions  beyond  Cocytus. 

104.  See  Introd.,  p.  65. 

105.  vota  tibi  cedent:  a  majority  of  Mss.  read  mihi, 
which  Anton  adopts  on  the  ground  that  Fortuna  is  thus 
made  subordinate  to  Dis.  "lam,  quod  optavi,  eveniet.^' 
But  this  subordination  to  Dis  is  not  in  keeping  with 
his  manner  of  addressing  her  in  79,  or  with  the  general 
tone  of  his  appeal  (Introd.,  p.  64.)  Tibi,  which  makes 
cedent  an  authoritative  promise,  is  more  vigorous,  and 
accords  better  with  her  function  in  the  poem. 

For  the  use  of  cedent,  cf.  Florus,  III,  1,  2  :  citra  spem 
omnium  Fortuna  cessit.  Suet.,  Aug.,  91:  cessitque  res 
prospere.  (Anton.)  Contrast  Ch.  82,  5,  2 :  queni  sua 
vota  premunt. 

rebellat:  Erhard  proposed  rebullil,  suggesting  the 
physical  effect  of  anger,  and  Reiskc  followed  him.  But 
Petronius  uses  rebellare  freely.  Cf.  89,  287.  Cf.  also 
Sen.,  Epp.,  LXIX,  4:    cito  rebellat  ajjectus  (Anton). 


162    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

106.  -que:  Latin  frequently  has  "and"  where  Eng- 
lish requires  "or"  or  "nor."     Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  36  f. 

107.  Romanis  arcibus:  the  hills  of  Rome,  with  spe- 
cial reference  to  the  Palatine  —  once  walled  off  by 
itself,  the  nucleus  of  the  later  city  —  and  the  Capito- 
line,  on  one  summit  of  which  was  the  Arx.  Moessler 
cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  II,  172  : 

in  beUum  avertis  Romanis  arcibus  Indum. 

Aen.,  TV,  234: 

Ascanione  pater  Romanas  invidet  arces  ? 
X,  11-13: 

adveniet  iustiun  pugnae,  ne  arcessite,  tempus, 
cum  fera  Karthago  Romanis  arcibus  olim 
exitium  magnum  atque  Alpis  immittet  apertas. 

odi:  cf.  Florus  :  invidens  Fortuna,  etc.  (quoted  on 
1-60). 

108.  7nimeribusque  meis  irascor:  cf.  Ch.  135,  8,3: 
muneribus  delusa  suis. 

destniet:  cf.  cedent,  105.  Fortuna  continues  in  the 
same  tone  of  authority. 

109.  idem  .  .  .  dens:  Mars,  the  father  of  Romulus 
and  Remus,  and  patron  of  the  city.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen., 
I,  276  f. :  Mavortia  .  .  .  moenia.  Cf.  Neptune's 
part  in  the  destruction  of  Troy,  which  he  had  helped 
to  build,  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  608  ff. ;  III,  3  :  Neptunia 
Troia. 

110.  cremare  vivos :  cf.  Verg.,  ^en.,  VII,  295  f. : 


Commentary  163 

num  incensa  cremavit 
Troia  viros  ?  (Moessler.) 

Editors  who  have  found  difficulty  with  the  expression 
have  suggested  armare  (Grono vius) ,  caede  creare  (Reiske), 
cicre,  gregare  (Moessler),  all  far  less  vigorous  than  the 
original. 

sanguine  pascere  luxum:  of.  56  f.  The  degenerate 
Romans  are  to  get  what  they  want  —  and  deserve. 
Some  editors  refer  this  to  the  amassing  of  fortunes 
based  on  plunder  and  confiscation,  as  in  the  days  of 
Sulla,  but  Foriuna  is  here  thinking  only  of  the  work  of 
destruction,  and  not  of  the  survivors. 

111-112.  cerno:  frequently  used  to  introduce  a 
prophecy  or  vision.  Cf.,  e.g.,  Cic,  Cat.,  IV,  6,  11: 
cerno  animo  sepulta  in  patria  miseros  atque  insepultos 
acervos  civium.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  87  ;  VII,  68.  Sil.  Ital., 
I,  126  and  137.  The  epic  poets  frequently  used  this 
device  to  introduce  matter  lying  outside  the  scope  of 
the  narrative,  or  to  anticipate  some  particularly  im- 
pressive event.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  257  ff. ;  VI,  756  ff. 
Sil.  Ital.,  VIII,  661  ff.  (for  Lucan,  see  Introd.,  p.  76). 
It  also  found  its  way  into  later  dramatic  poetry  {e.g. 
Shakspcre,  Henry  VIII,  V,  5),  where  its  abuse  was 
cleverly  satirized  by  Sheridan,  The  Critic,  II,  2  :  "The 
Spanish  fleet  thou  canst  not  see,"  etc. 

gemina  .  .  .  morte:  the  dead  of  Philippi  and  Phar- 
salus  {Thessaliae  .  .  .  ragos). 

stratos:  Moessler,  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  IX,  39: 

stratis  deleto  milite  campis. 


164    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Philippos  Thessaliaeque  rogos:  Pharsalus  and  Phi- 
lippi.  The  violation  of  chronological  order  is  not  to 
be  insisted  on,  as  the  names  of  the  two  battles,  and 
also  of  the  regions  where  they  were  fought,  Thessaly  and 
Macedon  (Emathia),  had  come  to  be  used  interchange- 
ably in  referring  to  them.  Cf.,  e.g.,  Florus,  IV,  2,  43 : 
sic  praecipitantibus  fatis  proelio  sumpta  est  Thessalia,  et 
Philippicis  campis  urbis,  imperii,  generis  humani  fata 
commissa  sunt.     Ov.,  Met.,  XV,  823  f.  (of  Augustus) : 

Pharsalia  sentiet  ilium 
Emathiaque  iterum  madefient  caede  PhiUppi. 

Lucan,  VII,  847  if. ;  IX,  271.  Juv.,  VIII,  242  f.  (Phar- 
salus). Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  489-492.  Lucan,  I,  680  and  695 ; 
VII,  427  (Philippi).  The  apostrophe  to  Brutus,  Lucan, 
VII,  591  f. : 

nee  tibi  fatales  admoveris  ante  Philippos, 
Thessaha  periture  tua. 

means  :  "in  a  Thessaly  of  your  own,"  i.e.  in  a  region 
which  will  be  to  you  what  Thessaly  has  been  to  Pom- 
pey.  In  the  closing  passage  of  Book  VII  (728  if.) 
Lucan  uses  Thessalia,  Emathia,  and  even  Threicia  of 
the  same  region. 

funera  gentis  Hiberae:  Caesar's  two  Spanish  cam- 
paigns ;  against  Pompey's  Ueutenants,  Petreius  and 
Afranius  (49),  and  against  his  sons  (45).  Munda, 
which  ended  the  latter,  was  the  last  of  Caesar's  battles. 

Sil.  Ital.  associates  Munda  and  Philippi  (III,  400) : 

et  Munda,  Emathios  ItaUs  paritura  labores. 


Commentary  165 

With  the  brief  yet  highly  effective  descriptive  touches 
in  these  two  hnes,  contrast  Lucan,  VII,  787-846,  where 
he  enlarges  ad  nauseam  on  the  horrors  of  the  battle-field. 

113.  Some  editors  have  attempted  to  find  a  place  for 
this  line  elsewhere,  not  noticing  that  its  function  here 
is  to  show  that  the  vision  is  growing  stronger  and  clearer. 
At  first  Fortuna  sees  only  undistinguished  masses  —  the 
panorama  of  the  battle-field,  but  in  115  she  distinguishes 
indi\'iduals  itimentes),  and  between  the  two,  as  though 
she  were  actually  coming  nearer  to  the  scenes  which 
she  describes,  the  noise  of  battle  begins  to  reach  her 
ears.  Cf .  the  progressive  description  of  the  approaching 
army,  Aesch.,  Sept.,  78  ff. 

trepidantes:  "excited,"  "eager,"  but  without  the 
accessory  idea  of  hurried  motion  which  commonly 
belongs  to  it  in  this  sense.  There  is,  of  course,  no 
notion  of  fear  involved. 

114.  Libyae  .  .  .  Nile:  for  the  collocation,  cf. 
Lucan,  X,  328 : 

qui  Libyae  te,  Nile,  negant. 

Libyae  here  =  Egyptian.     Cf.  63. 

gementia  castra :  camps  full  of  confusion  and  anguish. 
Throughout  this  vision  it  is  the  vanquished  and  the 
sufferers  that  Fortuna  sees. 

The  reference  here  is  to  Caesar's  campaigns  about 
the  Nile,  and  possibly  also  those  against  Cato  and  Juba 
(48-46  B.C.). 

115.  The  battle  of  Actium  was  fought  near  the 
promontory  of  that  name,  in  the  Ambracian  gulf,  on 


166    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

the  west  coast  of  Greece,  31  b.c.  Octa\aanus  after- 
wards paid  splendid  honors  to  Apollo,  one  of  whose 
shrines  stood  on  the  promontory,  and  to  whose  divine 
aid  he  declared  his  victory  due  (Dio,  LI,  1).  This 
battle,  decisive  for  the  future  of  Rome  and  of  the  world, 
made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  minds  of  men, 
and  contemporary  writers  speak  of  it  as  of  another 
Salamis  —  as,  in  some  sort,  it  was.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen., 
VIII,  675-728.  Hor.,  Cam.,  I,  37;  Epod.,9.  Propert., 
IV,  6.    Ov.,  F.,  I,  709-712. 

timentes :  substantive :  the  enemy  appalled  by  the 
vision  of  Apollo  in  his  wrath.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VIII, 
704-708 : 

Actius  haec  cernens  arcum  intendebat  Apollo 
desuper  :    omnis  eo  terrore  Aegyptus  et  Indi, 
omnis  Arabs,  omnes  vertebant  terga  Sabaei ; 
ipsa  videbatur  ventis  regina  vocatis 
vela  dare  et  laxos  iam  iamque  immittere  funis. 

With  this  cf.  11.,  I,  44  ff.,  to  which  Propertius  refers 
specifically  in  the  poem  mentioned  above,  11.    33  f. : 

sed  quali  aspexit  Pelopevmi  Agamemnona  vultu, 
egessitque  avidis  Dorica  castra  rogis. 

It  often  happens  in  Latin  poetry  that  a  description 
will  suggest  as  its  inspiration,  not  the  poet's  own  vision, 
but  some  earlier  poem  or  work  of  art.  (Cf.  Byron's 
dying  gladiator,  Childe  Harold,  IV.)  Thus  Petronius 
here  clearly  had  Vergil  in  mind,  as  Vergil  and  Propertius 
had  looked  back  to  Homer. 


Commentary  167 

116.  Fortuna  is  commanding  Dis. 
pande:  cf.  Odavia,  134  f. : 

aut  Stygios  sinus 
tellure  rupta  pande. 

Sen.,  H.  0.,  950  :    laxate  manes  (cf.  Lucan,  III,  17 ; 
see  Introd.,  p.  77)  Sil.  Ital,  IX,  250  f.  i 
pallenti  laetus  in  unda 
laxabat  sedem  Venturis  portitor  umbris. 

sitientia  regna:  refers  to  96  ff.  For  this  reason 
Crusius  wished  to  read  cruorcin  at  the  end  of  the  hne  : 
"reahns  th  rsting  for  the  blood  of  the  world,"  an  emen- 
dation as  awkward  as  it  is  unnecessary. 

117.  accerse:  see  Introd.,  p.  48,  and  1.  158. 

navita :  the  archaic  form  is  common  in  poetry.  Cf . 
Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  315.  TibulL,  I,  10,  36.  Sen.,  Oed., 
166-170  (all  of  Charon). 

Porlhmeus:  cf.  Eurip.,  Ale,  253  :  vckv'wv  8e  Tropdfiev^. 
Juv.,  Ill,  266  :   porthmea  (both  of  Charon). 

118.  simulacra  vinan:  Sil.  Ital.  uses  the  same  words 
in  XIII,  650,  of  the  shades  of  Scipio's  ancestors.  Simu- 
lacrum is  more  commonly  used  of  phantoms  appearing 
to  men,  but  cf.  Serv.,  ad  Aen.,  IV,  654  :  esse  quoddam 
simxdacrum,  qiwd  ad  nostri  corporis  effigiem  pictum, 
inferos  petit.  He  adds  that  the  poets  use  umbra  and 
simulacrum  without  distinction.  Cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  IV, 
434  f. 

cumba:  the  cumba  sutilis  of  Vergil  {Aen.,  VI,  413  f.). 

119.  tuque:  Fortuna  apostrophizes  Tisiphone,  whom 
Dis  had  mentioned,  97. 


168    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

120.  pallida  Tisiphone:  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill,  552; 
Aen.,  X,  761.  Her  pallor  denotes  ferocity  and  rapacity. 
Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,  217  f.  (the  Harpies)  :  pallida  sem- 
per I  ora  fame.  Ov.,  Met.,  II,  775  (Invidia):  pallor 
in  ore  sedet. 

concisaque  vulnera  mande:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,  626  f. 
(of  Polyphemus)  : 

vidi  atro  cum  membra  fluentia  tabo 
manderet  et  tepidi  tremerent  sub  dentibus  artus. 
Ov.,  Met.,  XV,  91  ff.: 

scilicet  in  tantis  opibus,  quas  optima  matrimi 
Terra  creat,  nil  te  nisi  tristia  mandere  saevo 
vulnera  dente  iuvat  ritusque  referre  Cyclopum  ? 

Petronius's  three  words  are  exactly  parallel  in  feeling 
to  these  longer  passages,  and  present  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  Fury's  ghoulish  meal. 

121.  Cf.  Octavia,  505  f. : 

quantum  cruorem  Roma  tunc  vidit  sui 
lacerata  toties ! 

122.  The  action  changes  with  dramatic  suddenness. 
Jupiter  begins  to  play  his  part,  and  the  Lord  of  Shadows 
hides  from  the  glare  of  his  lightnings. 

With  this  and  the  next  hne  cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  353  f. : 

nee  non  abrupta  tremescunt 
fulgura. 

123.  The  cloud  quivers  as  it  is  rent,  the  forked 
lightning  is  shot  out  and  then  cut  off  from  its  source. 


Commentary  169 

124.  -pater:  "lord."  Cf.  Vergil's  use  of  pater  Aeneas 
when  authority,  not  age,  is  the  point. 

gremioque  reducto  \  telluris :  drawing  the  earth  (repre- 
sented as  a  mantle)  together,  so  as  to  cover  the  chasm 
through  which  he  ascended,  76 ;  perhaps  also  that  men- 
tioned in  101. 

125.  fraternos  .  .  .  ictus:    Jove's  thunderbolts. 

126.  clades:  as  well  as  venturaque  damna,  refers  to 
the  future. 

127.  Latin  literature  abounds  in  tales  of  prodigies 
seen  in  times  of  national  peril.  Livy  records  them 
conscientiously,  remarking,  however,  that  it  was  per- 
haps because  people  were  looking  for  them  that  they 
found  so  many.  Cic,  Cat.,  Ill,  8,  18  f.,  enumerates 
those  which  foretold  the  great  conspiracy.  Caesar 
himself,  B.  C,  III,  105,  tells  of  the  portents  which 
were  said  to  have  marked  the  day  of  Pharsalus.  Vergil, 
Ge.,  I,  466-488,  has  a  striking  passage  on  those  which 
followed  his  assassination  (cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  XV,  783  ff., 
on  those  which  preceded  it).  For  the  phenomena  to 
which  Petronius  refers  here,  cf.  App.,  B.  C,  II,  36  : 

Tcpara  re  airoTs  €7r€7rt7rTe  TroXAa,  kol  arjfxeia  ovpavta, 
ai/xa  re  yap  edo^'ej/  6  6eo<:  vcrat.  .  .  .  aAAa  t€  TroAAa  hva-xtprj 
TTpocrrjixaive  rrjv  t's  dd  Trj<;  TroXtreias  dvaipecxLV  T£  Koi 
/J.€.Ta(SoX.y]V. 

Petronius's  account  follows  Lucan's  most  closely 
(see  Introd.,  p.  77  ff.),  but  is  really  a  selection  from  the 
whole  body  of  talcs  of  such  miraculous  occurrences. 

Shakspere,  in  Julius  Caesar  and  Macbeth,  has  made 
significant  use  of  similar  material. 


170    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

"Auratus  coniicit  forte  talem  versum  suhsequi  debuisse : 
nostrum  quadriiugi  scandens  sol  aether  a  curru." 

(Anton.) 

An  excellent  example  of  the  way  in  which  the  old  com- 
mentators displayed  their  learning  and  ingenuity  at 
the  expense  of  the  poet. 

128.  deformis  Titan:  the  sun,  made  hideous  by  the 
change  in  form  and  color  which  ushered  in  the  eclipse. 
Vergil,  Ge.,  I,  463-468,  says  of  the  sun  : 

solem  quis  dicere  falsum 
audeat  ?    ille  etiam  caecos  instare  tumultus 
saepe  monet  fraudemque  et  operta  tumescere  bella. 
ille  etiam  extincto  miseratus  Caesare  Romam, 
cum  caput  obscura  nitidum  ferrugine  texit 
impiaque  aeternum  timuerunt  saecula  noctem. 

Titan:  Hj^ierion,  the  older  sun-god,  was  one  of  the 
Titans.  Apollo  is  sometimes  epresented  as  his  son. 
Cf.  Titania  for  Diana,  Ov.,  Met.,  Ill,  173. 

129.  The  emendation  spectare  (Buecheler)  seems 
necessary.  Sperare  putares  implies  that  the  sun  is  not 
yet  looking  forward  to  the  strife,  thus  reversing  the 
obvious  meaning  of  the  author.  The  sun  and  moon 
veil  their  faces : 

"  As  if  they  already  stood  aghast 
At  the  bloody  work  they  would  look  upon." 

130.  Cynthia:  the  moon,  from  Mt.  Cynthus,  on 
Delos,  where  Apollo  and  Diana  were  born. 


Commentary  171 

131-132.   rupta  .  .  .  iiiga:    cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  473: 

insolitis  tremuerunt  motibus  Alpes. 

Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  364  : 

saxa  iugis  fugientia  ruptis. 
Sen.,  Phoen.,  674  f. 

With  these  lines  and  133,  cf,  Liv.,  XXII,  5,  8  :  motum 

terrae  qui  .  .  .  avertit  .  .  .  cursu  rapidos  amnis  .  .  . 
montes  lapsu  ingenti  proruit. 

montis:  like  opos,  mons  may  mean  a  range  of  moun- 
tains as  weU  as  a  single  peak.     Cf.  mons  Appenniinis. 

133.  {nee  vaga  passim)  flumina,  etc.,  appears  to  be 
an  expansion  of  the  familiar  sistunt  amnes  (cf.,  e.g., 
Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  479  ;  Aen.,  IV,  489),  one  of  the  commonest 
of  prodigies,  but  the  expression  is  involved  and  obscure, 
the  relation  of  the  parts  to  the  whole  and  each  other 
difficult  to  discover.  The  most  probable  interpretation 
is  :  "and  the  rivers,  no  longer  spreading  far  and  wide, 
crept  feebly  along  their  beds."  But  even  here  the 
difficulty  remains  that  the  words  vaga  passim,  which 
in  themselves  suggest  an  opposition  to  per  notas  ripas, 
are  made  to  mean  no  more  than  the  free  movement  of  the 
full  current,  for  morientia  is,  of  course,  contrasted  with 
the  normal  state  of  things,  not  with  anything  unusual, 
such  as  a  flood.  The  emendation  torrentia  (Reichardt. 
Cf.  Verg.,  Eel.,  VII,  52 :  torrentia  flumina  ripas)  is 
good,  but  so  long  as  the  received  text  can  be  explained 
by  allowing  for  a  little,  not  excessive,  carelessness, 
it  is  better  to  adhere  to  it. 


172    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

For  morientia,  cf.  Manil,  IV,  625 : 

litora  Niliacis  iterum  morientia  ripis. 

"the  coast-line  losing  itself  in  the  banks  {i.e.  mouths) 
of  the  Nile." 

notas  ripas:   cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  IV,  2,  6  (Anton). 

134-136.  armorum  strepitu:  a  common  omen  of 
war  or  other  peril.     Cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  474  f.  : 

armormn  sonitum  toto  Germania  caelo 
audiit. 

Tibull,  II,  5,  73.  Ov.,  Met.,  XV,  783-785.  Stat., 
Theb.,  Ill,  423.  A\den.,  Descr.  Orb.  Terr.,  1374.  Caes., 
B.  C,  III,  105,  4.  Cic,  de  Harusp.  Resp.,  10.  Val 
Max.,  I,  6,  12.     Dio,  XXXIX,  20,  2. 

tuba  .  .  .  tremefada  ciet:  cf.  271  and  German 
schmettern  used  of  the  sound  of  the  trumpet.  The 
many  strange  readings  found  in  the  Mss.  or  supplied 
by  conjecture  have  inspired  still  stranger  explanations. 
Perhaps  the  wildest  is  sideribus  trinis  or  tribus  acta,  in 
which  Burmann  saw  an  allusion  to  the  Triumvirate. 
He  compared  Florus,  III,  21,  3  :  tribus  .  .  .  sideribus 
agitatum  est,  where,  however,  the  reference  is  to  suc- 
cessive stages  of  the  war  between  Marius  and  Sulla, 
marked  by  increasing  ferocity. 

sideribus:   from  the  heavens. 

voratur:   cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  4,  75: 

nee  peredit 
impositam  celer  ignis  Aetnen. 

App.  Verg.,  Aetna,  113. 


Commentary  173 

ignibus  insolitis:  cf.  180,  Ch.  136,  6,  5:  plandibus 
insolitis.     Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  475:    insolitis  .  .  .  motibus. 

For  descriptions  of  Aetna  in  eruption,  cf.  Verg.,  Ge., 
I,  471-473  ;   Aen.,  Ill,  571-582. 

in  aethera  fulmina:  a  daring  expression,  depicting 
the  violence  of  tlie  eruption,  which  seemed  to  reverse 
the  order  of  nature,  and  dart  Ughtnings  from  earth  to 
heaven. 

137-138.   Cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  476  ff. : 

vo.x  quoque  per  lucos  ^'ulgo  exaudita  silentis 
ingens,  et  simulacra  modis  pallentia  miris 
visa  sub  obscurmii  noctis. 

Sen.,  Thy.,  671  f. ;   Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  36  f. : 

tumulisque  carentia  regum 
funera. 

and  VII,  409. 

Anton,  cf.  Lactant.,  II,  2,  6. 

stridore:  it  has  been  pointed  out  that  this  word  is 
regularly  applied  to  the  sound  supposed  to  be  made  by 
ghosts.     Cf.  Ace,  Ale.  (Prise,  p.  867  P). 

cum  strideret  retracta  rursus  inferis. 

Stat.,  Theb.,  IX,  299  : 

stridebit  vestros  Tydeus  inhuraatus  ad  ignes. 

Lucan,  VI,  623  (see  Introd.,  p.  80).     As  a  charm  to 
raise  the  dead,  Tibull.,  I,  2,  47. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Petronius  here  brings  upon 
the  scene  the  shades  both  of  the  duly  buried,  and  the 


174    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

unburied,  dead.  The  latter  would  be  by  far  the  more 
malignant,  but  the  presence  of  the  former  would  be 
the  greater  prodigy. 

139.  incendia:  the  blazing  tail  of  the  comet.  Cf. 
Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  486  f. : 

non  alias  caelo  ceciderunt  plura  sereno 
fulgura  nee  diri  totiens  arsere  cometae. 

Ov.,  Met.,  XV,  787.     Claud.,  Bell.  Get.,  241  ff.  (Anton). 

140.  Blood  falling  in  rain  or  gushing  from  springs 
is  another  frequently  recurring  portent.  Cf.  Verg., 
Ge.,  I,  485.  Ov.,  Met.,  XV,  788.  Stat.,  Theb.,  VII, 
408.    Claud.,  in  Eutrop.,  I,  4  ff. : 

nimboque  minacem 
sanguineo  rubuisse  lovem.    puteosque  cruore 
mutatos. 

App.  (quoted  on  127). 

rubens:  the  Mss.  are  almost  unanimous  in  favor 
of  recens.  But  recens  makes  no  sense  except  as  a 
transferred  epithet, — for  "fresh  blood,"  —  and  even 
there  it  seems  unduly  forced.  Rubens,  on  the  other 
hand,  has,  as  Anton  points  out,  the  support  of  Clau- 
dian,  quoted  above,  and  is  strikingly  appropriate.  It 
might  have  been  corrupted  to  repens  at  a  very  early 
period,  and  this  in  turn  corrected  to  recens. 

descendit  luppiter  imbre:    cf.  Verg.,  Ed.,  VII,  60: 

luppiter  et  laeto  descendet  plurimus  imbre. 

Jupiter  here  appears  in  the  original  character  of  the 
Sky.    Cf.  Hor.,  quoted  on  148,  and  App.,  on  127. 


Commentary  175 

141.  solvit:    "performed"  as  an  official  duty. 

142.  rnoras:  his  hesitation  about  beginning  the 
war,  cf.  158  f. 

vindidaeque  actus  amore:  cf.  Florus,  IV,  2,  17:  his 
(the  acts  of  the  Senate)  Caesar  agitatus,  statuit  -praemia 
annorum  armis  defendere.     But  see  notes  on  158. 

143.  Gaul  had  been  finally  "pacified"  some  time 
before  the  civil  war  began  (cf.  Florus,  IV,  2,  23 : 
nihil  hostile  erat  in  Gallia :  ipacem  ipse  fecerat) ,  but  Pe- 
tronius,  as  a  poet,  naturally  ignores  the  last  uneventful 
months  of  Caesar's  proconsulship,  and  the  fruitless 
negotiations  with  the  Senate  which  occupied  the  close 
of  50  B.C.  By  a  further  poetic  license  he  represents 
the  Alps,  and  not  the  Rubicon,  as  the  barrier  which 
Caesar  crossed  as  his  first  overt  act  of  war. 

proiecit:    the  regular  word  for  throwing  anything 
away.     In  military  language  it  means  "ground  arms," 
a  sense  to  which  the  author  has  not  adhered  in  this  line. 
144-145.   With    the    following    description    cf.    Sil. 
Ital.,  Ill,  479-493  : 
cuncta  gelu  canaque  aeternum  grandine  tecta 
atque  aevi  glacie  cohibent :   riget  ardua  montis 
aetherii  facies  ;    surgentique  obvia  Phoebo, 
duratas  nescit  flammis  mollirc  pruinas. 
quantum  Tartareus  regni  pallentis  hiatus 
ad  manes  imos  atque  atrae  stagna  paludis 
a  supera  tellure  patet ;   tarn  longa  per  auras 
erigitur  tellus,  et  caelum  intercipit  umbra, 
nullum  ver  usquam,  nuUiquc  acstatis  honores. 
sola  iugis  habitat  diris,  sedesque  tuetur 


176    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

perpetuas,  deformis  hiems  :   ilia  undique  nubes 

hue  atras  agit  et  mixtos  cum  grandine  nimbos.     490. 
****** 

abeuntque  in  nubila  montes.   493. 
IV,  742-746 : 

protinus  aerii  praeceps  rapit  aggere  montis. 

horrebat  glacie  saxa  inter  lubrica,  sununo 

piniferum  caelo  miscens  caput,  Appenninus. 

condiderat  nix  alta  trabes,  et  vertice  celso 

canus  apex  structa  surgebat  ad  astra  pruina. 

Alpibus  aeriis :  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill,  474  :  aerias  Alpes. 
Ov.,  Met.,  II,  226:  aeriq,eque  Alpes.  Lucan,  I,  689: 
aeriam  Pyrenen. 

Graio  numine  pulsae:  "the  rocks  [once]  trodden  by 
the  Greek  divinity."  Pulsae  here  =  calcatae.  See  on 
152.  Reiske's  emendation,  while  very  slight,  improves 
the  line  greatly.  Graio  nomine  pulsae  .  .  .  rupes 
would  mean:  "the  weather-beaten  rocks  (cf.  Verg., 
Aen.,  IV,  249),  by  name  Graiae,"  but  the  construction 
is  grievously  strained.  Graio  nomine  pulso,  etc. : 
"Alpes  Graiarum  nomine  amisso  magis  descendunt  in 
planitiem,  et  maritimae  vocari  incipiunt"  (Wernsdorff) 
may  be  right,  but  pellere  seems  too  strong  for  the 
meaning  attached  to  it. 

The  Alpes  Graiae  were  supposed  to  take  their  name 
from  Hercules,  the  first  traveler  to  cross  them  (cf. 
Nepos,  Han.,  Ill,  4),  but  the  name  was  probably  of 
Celtic  origin,  and  certainlj^  had  nothing  to  do  with 
Greece. 


Commentary  177 

146.  est  locus:   cf.  67. 

Herculis  aris  sacer:    in  the  maritime  Alps,  near  the 
present  Monaco.     Cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  I,  585  f. : 

Herculei  ponto  coepere  exsistere  coUes, 
et  nebulosa  iugis  attoUere  saxa  Monoeci. 
Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  830  f. 

147.  clandit:   "blocks." 

vertice  tollii:   sc.  se.  Verg.,  Aen.,  XII,  703. : 

vertice  se  attollens  pater  Appenninus  ad  auras. 

148.  caelum  illic  cecidisse:    because  of  the  accumu- 
lated masses  of  snow.     Cf.  Hor.,  Epod.,  XllI,  1  f. : 

imbres 
nivesque  deducunt  lovem. 

Also  because,  to  one  looking  up  at  the  heights,  the  sky 
appears  to  rest  upon  them. 

soils  adulli:    "the    blazing  sun,"  at  midday  or  in 
summer.     Cf.  Sen.,  H.  0.,  1289  f.  : 

vincitque  faces 

solis  adulti  glaciale  iubar. 

Apul.,  Met.,  XI,  24  :    flammis  adulta  fax. 
Cf.  also  Sen.,  Med.,  589  ff.  : 

aut  ubi  rivos  nivibus  solutis 
sole  iam  forti,  medioque  vere 
tabuit  Hacmus. 

149.  mansuescit:  " grows  soft,"  "melts." 

150.  glacie  concreta  rigent:    cf.  200:    concreta  gelu. 


178    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Verg.,  Aen.  IV,  251  (Atlas)  :  glade  riget  horrida  barba. 
Liv.,  XXI,  36,  8  :  alte  concreta  glacie.  Stat.,  Theb., 
Ill,  672 :  exuti  concreto  frigore  monies.  Neither 
riget  nor  rigens  will  agree  with  concreta  (neuter  plural), 
but  rigent  (sc.  omnia)  solves  the  difficulty,  the  change 
of  subject  being  perfectly  natural. 

151.  Cf.  147.     Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  IV,  247  (Atlas)  : 

caelum  qui  vertice  fulcit. 

umeris    minitantibus :     towering    threateningly    into 
the  sky.     Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  162  f. :  minantur  in  caelum 
scopuli. 
Sidon.  Apoll.,  C,  V,  511 : 

Alpes  marmoreas,  atque  occurrentia  iuncto 
saxa  polo. 

orbem:   the  heavenly  sphere,  supported  by  Atlas. 

152.  calcavit  .  .  .  iuga:  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  XI,  217  f,  (of 
Hannibal)  : 

cui  patuere  Alpes,  saxa  impellentia  caelum 
atque  uni  calcata  deo. 

XVII,  319  f.: 

turmae,  vidi  certantia  caelo 
quas  iuga  calcantes,  summas  vohtare  per  Alpes  ? 

Calcare  is  used  because  the  crossing  of  the  Alps  is 
thought  of  as  a  remarkable  feat ;  the  trampling  under 
foot  of  what  should  have  been  an  insurmountable 
barrier.    See  on  87-93  (Pliny).     Cf.  Sen.,  Hipp.,  234  f. 

milite:    "soldiery."    So  often  in  poetry.     Cf.  Verg. 


Commentary  179 

Aen.,  II,  495  :  loca  ynilite  complent,  and  Sil.  Ital.  (quoted 
on  111-112  and  203). 

laeto:  Caesar  {B.  C,  I,  7)  speaks  of  the  loyal  response 
of  the  Thirteenth  Legion  to  his  speech  at  Ravenna : 
condamant  .  .  .  milites  .  .  .  sese  paratos  esse  impera- 
toris  sui  tribunorumque  plebis  iniurias  defendere,  but 
avoids  anjiihing  which  might  suggest  unseemly  eager- 
ness on  their  part. 

153.  optavitque  locum:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,  109: 
(Teucrus)  optavit  locum  regno.  The  ordinary  military 
term  was  locum  castris  deligere  {e.g.  Caes.,  B.  G.,  II,  18). 
Moessler  reads  purgavitque  on  the  strength  of  Liv.,  XXI, 
37,  1  (of  Hannibal's  passage  of  the  Alps)  :  castra  in  iuga 
posita,  aegerrime  ad  id  ipsum  loco  purgato,  tantum  nivis 
fodiendum  atque  egerendimi  fuit.  But  the  author  is  not 
insisting  upon  the  difficulties  of  the  way  here  as  in  185  ff., 
and  optavit  is  not  only  nearer  the  Mss.  but  more  nat- 
ural. A  Roman  commander  would,  of  course,  have  made 
the  selection  of  a  camping-ground  the  first  considera- 
tion at  the  end  of  a  march  (though  he  would  not  neces- 
sarily attend  to  it  himself),  but  a  man  in  Caesar's  mood, 
looking  down  on  the  land  which  had  disowned  him  and 
now  lay  at  his  mercy,  would  hardly  wait  the  leisure  of 
the  snow-shoveling  squad  to  give  rein  to  his  feefings. 

154.  Cf.  Liv.,  XXI,  35,  8:  praegressus  signa  Han- 
nibal in  promuntorio  quodam,  unde  longe  ac  late  pro- 
spectus erat,  consistere  iussis  militibus  Italiam  ostentat 
subiectosque  Alpinis  montibus  circumpadanos  campos, 
moeniaque  eos  turn  transcendere  nan  Italiae  modo  sed 
etiam  urbis  Romanae. 


180    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Sil.  Ital.,  Ill,  418  :    late  prospedat  Iberos. 

155.  intentans  cum  voce  manus  ad  sidera:  the  regular 
attitude  of  prayer  among  the  ancients.  Cf.,  e.g.,  II.,  I, 
450: 

Torctv  Be  J^pv(Tr]<i  /ueyaX'  evxero  ;(€tpas  dvacr;^wv. 

Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  687  f. : 

at  pater  Anchises  oculos  ad  sidera  laetus 
extulit  et  caelo  palmas  cum  voce  tetendit. 

X,  667 : 

et  dupUces  cum  voce  manus  ad  sidera  tendit. 

Ov.,  Met.,  VI,  368 ;  and  the  phrase  manus  supinae 
(Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,  176  f.  Hor.,  Carm.,  Ill,  23,  1).  It 
was  also  the  attitude  of  the  worshiping  Hebrew  (Ps. 
xxviii.,  2;   Ixiii.,  4;   Ixxxviii.,  9;    cxli.,  2). 

This  use  of  intentans  instead  of  teiidens  or  intendens 
seems  to  be  without  parallel  in  Latin  hterature.  In- 
tentare  manus  in  aliquid  is  used  of  threatening  gestures, 
e.g.  in  oculos,  Petr.,  Ch.  9,  6  ;  95,  8  ;  108,  5.  For  this 
reason  de  Salas  saw  in  the  line  a  defiance  hurled  at  the 
gods  from  the  vantage-ground  of  the  Alpine  summit,  a 
view  hardly  to  be  reconciled  with  what  follows.  0+hers, 
foUomng  Trag.,  have  read  intendens.  It  may  b.  as- 
sumed, however,  that  Petronius,  following  the  ten- 
dency of  the  Plebeian  Latin  of  which  he  had  used  so 
much  in  his  narrative,  substituted  a  stronger  word  for 
the  one  regularly  employed  in  this  phrase. 

156-176.  This  speech,  delivered  at  the  top  of  the 
Alpine  pass,  corresponds  to  the  one  actually  made  at 


Commentary  181 

Ravenna  (or  possibly  Ariminum)  in  January,  49,  when 
the  news  of  the  flight  of  the  Tribunes  reached  Caesar 
(see  on  152  and  288  f.).  For  his  own  account  of  the 
Ravenna  speech,  see  B.  C,  I,  7.  Before  Pharsalus  he 
said : 

differendum  est  iter  in  praesentia  nobis  et  de  proelio 
cogitandum,  sicut  semper  depoposcimus.  animo  sumus 
ad  dimicandum  parati;  non  facile  occasionem  postea 
reperiemus  (III,  85). 

and  before  giving  the  order  to  charge : 

commemoravit  testibus  se  militibus  uti  posse,  quanto 
studio  pacem  petisset  .  .  .  neque  se  umquavi  abuti 
militum  sanguine  neque  rem  publicam  alterutro  exercitu 
privare  voluisse  (90). 

For  Lucan's  version  of  these  speeches,  see  Introd., 
p.  80  flf. 

156.  Saturnia  Tellus:  a  very  ancient  and  therefore 
very  solemn  form  of  address.  Varro,  L.  L.,  V,  7,  42, 
says  that  the  Capitolium  was  early  called  Mons  Satur- 
nius,  et  ab  eo  late  Saturniam  terram,  ut  etiam  Ennius 
appellat  (see  below).  Cf.  Festus,  p.  322.  Enn.,  Ann.,  I, 
25.  Ov.,  F.,  V,  625.  Vergil  uses  the  epithet  repeatedly, 
most  impressively,  Ge.,  II,  173  f. : 

salve  magna  parens  frugum,  Saturnia  tellus, 
magna  virum ! 

Caesar's  manner  of  addressing  his  country  shows  pietas, 
not  the  feelings  of  a  ruthless  invader.  Lucan  also  does 
him  this  grace.     Cf.  I,  199  ff.  (see  Introd.,  p.  80). 


182    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

157.  onerata:  ornata,  honestata  (Erhard).  Plays  on 
honos  and  07ius  are  frequent  in  Latin.  Cf.  Liv.,  XXII, 
30,  4 :  plebeiscitum,  quo  oneratus  sum  magis  quam 
honoralus.  Ov.,  Her.,  IX,  31.  Varro,  L.  L.,  V,  10,  73. 
Auson.,  Protrept,  97  ff.  Sidon.  Apoll.,  Epp.,  VII,  9,  7. 
Rutil.  Lup.,  I,  3.  Cf.  also  the  Ms.  reading  sub  honore 
in  118.    See  p.  248. 

triumphis:  is  not  used  in  the  technical  sense,  as 
Caesar  celebrated  no  triumphs  until  after  the  civil  war 
(in  46  and  45) ,  but  refers  to  his  victorious  campaigns  in 
Gaul  and  the  supplicationes  decreed  by  the  Senate  ex 
litteris  Caesaris  {B.  G.,  II,  35;  VII,  90).  Cf.  Cic,  de 
Prov.  Cons.,  X,  24 :  C.  Caesari  supplicationes  decre- 
vistis,  numero,  ut  nemini  uno  ex  hello ;  honore  ut  omnino 
nemini.    Suet.,  lul.,  24.     See  on  163. 

158.  testor:  most  editors  read  te  in  156  to  supply  an 
object.  But  the  change  from  the  Mss.  reading  is 
unnecessary,  as  is  shown  by  other  cases  of  testor  used 
absolutely.    E.g.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  431  f.: 

Iliaci  cineres  et  flamma  extrema  meonmi, 
testor  in  occasu  vestro  nee  tela  nee  uUas 
vitavisse  vices  Danaum. 

Lucan,  VII,  91  f. : 

testor,  Roma,  tamen  :   Magnum,  quo  cuncta  perirent 
accepisse  diem. 

So  also  ixapTvpofxaL :  Thuc,  VI,  80,  3.    Lucian,  Timon, 
46  (160). 
acies :  loosely  used  for  "battles,"  as  the  meaning  of 


Commentary  183 

iriumphus  is  stretched  in  157  and  163,  and  that  of  tro- 
paeum  in  172.     See  Introd.,  p.  51. 

invitum:  Caesar  always  maintained  that  the  war 
was  forced  upon  him.  Cf.  B.  C,  III,  90  (see  on  156-176). 
Looking  at  the  dead  after  Pharsalus,  he  said  to  those 
about  him  :  hoc  voluerunt.  tantis  rebus  gestis  C.  Caesar 
condemnatus  essern,  7nsi  ab  exercitu  auxilium  petissem 
(Suet.,  lul,  30,  quoting  from  Asinius  PoUio,  who  was 
present  at  the  time.  Cf.  Plut.,  Caes.,  46).  His  modera- 
tion both  during  the  war  and  afterwards,  often  in  the 
face  of  extreme  provocation,  is  a  strong  proof  of  his 
sincerity.  Cf.  also  Hirtius,  Book  VIII  of  the  Bell.  Gall, 
the  closing  sentence  :  Caesar  omnia  patienda  esse  siatuit 
quoad  sibi  spes  aliqua  relinqueretur  iure  potius  discep- 
tandi  quam  belligerandi. 

accersere:  though  found  in  a  minority  of  the  Mss.,  is 
undoubtedly  to  be  preferred  to  the  more  formal  arcessere 
here  as  in  117.  The  real  Caesar  always  used  arcessere 
in  his  writings,  as  does  Vergil,  Aen.,X,  11 : 

adveniet  iustum  pugnae  (ne  arcessite)  tempus. 

But  Petronius  has  accersere  throughout  his  prose  (Chs. 
37,  101,  102,  139),  and  as  it  is  also  Lucan's  choice  (I, 
166;  IV,  484;  VII,  252:  the  last  in  Caesar's  speech  at 
Pharsalus),  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  was 
used  here  as  well. 

159.  ferre  manus:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  V,  402  f.: 

Eryx  in  proelia  suetus 
ferre  manum,  (Anton.) 


184    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

But  manus  is  here  modified  by  invitas,  and  the  expression 
has  not  the  same  stereotyped  appearance  as  the  Ver- 
gilian  phrase,  which  is  probably  a  bit  of  sporting  lan- 
guage. 

vulnere :  the  injustice  with  which  he  had  been  treated. 
As  the  end  of  his  term  of  office  in  Gaul  approached,  the 
Senate  refused  to  allow  him  to  stand  for  the  consulship 
unless  he  made  his  canvass  in  person,  a  requirement 
which  involved  disbanding  his  troops  without  a  triumph, 
and  putting  himself  at  the  mercy  of  his  enemies  by  re- 
turning to  Rome  as  a  private  citizen ;  and  all  this  in 
violation  of  promises  which  had  been  made  to  him. 
Not  content  with  this,  the  Senate  finally  ordered  him 
to  disband  his  army  without  waiting  for  the  arrival  of 
his  successor  in  oflfice,  on  pain  of  being  declared  a  rebel. 
When,  following  this  decree,  the  Tribunes  who  had  been 
expelled  from  Rome  for  attempting  to  veto  it  took 
refuge  with  him  (see  on  288  f.),  he  crossed  the  Rubicon 
and  commenced  hostilities. 

160.  pulsus:  Caesar  does  not  speak  by  the  card. 
He  was  not  cast  out,  but  shut  out,  or  rather  his  return 
was  made  to  depend  upon  conditions  which  it  would 
have  been  suicidal  to  accept  (see  on  159,  and  his  own 
words  quoted  on  158). 

iirbe  mea:  cf.  166  and  Lucan's  Caesar  ubique  tuus 
.  .  .  miles  (see  Introd.,  p.  80). 

Rhenum  .  .  .  tinguo:   cf.  Ov.,  Tr.,  IV,  2,  42: 

decolor  ipse  suo  sanguine  Rhenus  erit. 
Caesar's  words  are  literally  true,  as  after  the  defeat  of 


COMMENTAKY  185 

Ariovistus  in  58,  and  again  after  that  of  the  Usipetes  and 
Tencteri  in  55,  the  routed  Germans  had  been  driven  by- 
thousands  into  the  Rhine.  But  the  words  are  meant  to 
cover,  not  only  these  battles,  but  all  his  successes  against 
the  Germans.  Petronius  mentions  them  again  in  163 
and  214,  throwing  the  emphasis  on  this  part  of  Caesar's 
work,  although  the  battle  had  really  been  against  the 
Gauls.  This  is  but  natural  in  a  poet  of  his  times,  for 
Gaul,  the  terror  of  the  Repubhc  (see  on  161)  soon 
became  a  loyal  member  of  the  Empire,  while  Germany, 
in  spite  of  hollow  triumphs  and  high-sounding  titles 
bestowed  on  those  who  had  crossed  her  borders  and  lived 
to  tell  the  tale,  loomed  ever  more  formidable  on  the 
horizon. 

With  sanguine  tinguo  cf.  294. 

161.  iterum:  referring  to  the  sack  of  Rome  by  the 
Gauls  in  390  b.c.  Until  Caesar  completed  his  conquest, 
the  fear  of  another  Gallic  invasion  was  never  far  from 
Roman  thoughts.  Hence  the  enthusiasm  which  his 
\'ictories  aroused  and  the  unprecedented  honors  voted 
him  by  the  Senate,  in  spite  of  his  many  bitter  enemies 
among  its  members  (see  on  157).  Cf.  Cic,  de  Prov. 
Cons.,  13  f.  :  nemo  sapienter  de  re  puhlica  nostra  cogita- 
vit  iam  inde  a  pnncipio  huius  imperi,  quin  Galliam 
maxime  timendam  huic  imperio  putaret  .  .  .  restitimus 
semper  lacessiti.  nunc  denique  est  perfectum  ut  imperi 
nostri  terrarumque  illarum  idem  esset  extremum.  Alpi- 
bus  Ilaliam  munierat  antea  natura  non  sine  aliquo  divino 
numine;  nam  si  ille  aditus  Gallonmi  immanitati  mxdti- 
ludinique  patuissel  numquam  haec  urbs  summo  imperio 


186    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

domicilium  ac  sedem  praebuisset.  quae  iam  licet  con- 
sidant,  nihil  est  enini  ultra  illam  altitudinem  montium 
usque  ad  Oceanum  quod  sit  Italiae  pertimescendum.  Cf. 
App.,  B.  C,  II,  41  (quoted  on  292);  Lucan  I,  307  f. 
(Introd.,  p.  81). 

162.  Alpibus  excludo:  keep  them  on  their  own 
ground,  behind  the  barrier  of  the  Alps. 

vincendo  certior  exid:  for  similar  paradoxes,  cf.  Hor., 
Carm.,  Ill,  5,  48  :  egregius  exul  (Regulus).  Lucan,  VII, 
256:  vetitos  remeare  triumphos.  Sen.,  H.  F.,  249: 
orbe  defenso  caret. 

163.  Cf.  Cic,  Mar  cell.,  28  :  obstupescent  posteri  certe 
imperia,  provincias,  Rhenum,  Oceanum,  Nilum,  pugnas 
innumerabiles,  incredibiles  victorias,  monumenta,  munera, 
triumphos  audientes  et  legentes  tuos. 

sanguine  Germano:  see  on  160,  214. 

sexagintaque  triumphis :  "a  hundred  battles."  Sexa- 
ginta  is  used  as  a  round  number  (see  Wolflin,  Das  Duo- 
decimalsystem,  Archiv,  IX,  537-599).  Cf.  Cic,  Deiot., 
4,  12  :  itaque  Cn.  Pompeii  bella,  victorias,  triumphos, 
consulatus,  admirantes  numerabamus,  tuos  enumerare 
non  possumus.  Historians  give  Caesar's  victories  over 
foreign  enemies  as  upwards  of  50  (Solin.,  I,  100  f.  PUn., 
H.  N.,  VII,  25.    Plut.,  Caes.,  15). 

164.  esse  nocens  coepi:  I  began  to  appear  guilty  at 
Rome.     For  the  form  of  expression,  see  Introd.,  p.  43. 

gloria:  Caesar's  greatness. 

165.  bella  vident:  anticipate  war,  i.e.  fear  that  Caesar 
will  commit  some  violence  against  the  state  unless  his 
power  is  broken.     It  was  with  this  fear  as  an  excuse  that 


Commentary  187 

the  Senate  forced  upon  Caesar  the  war  which  destroj^ed 
its  power  forever. 

mercedihus  emptae:  the  old  commentators  referred 
this  to  Pompey's  foreign  troops,  citing  App.,  B.  C,  II, 
34  and  74.    Also  Lucan,  X,  407  f. : 

nulla  fides  pietasque  viris  qui  castra  sequuntur 
venalesque  manus.     ibi  fas,  ubi  maxima  merces. 

But,  as  the  next  Une  clearly  shows,  the  reference  is  to  the 
mongrel  populus,  ready  to  sell  their  votes  to  the  highest 
bidder.  Cf.  39  above  :  emptique  Quirites,  and  Lucan, 
I,  314,  where  Caesar  at  Ariminum  calls  Pompey's  par- 
tisans empti  clientes. 

166.  viles  operae:  for  the  adjective,  cf.  Lucan,  V, 
263  :  viles  animas.  Operae  was  employed  euphemisti- 
cally for  men  engaged  in  dishonest  political  work.  Cf. 
Cic,  Phil.,  I,  9,  22 :  operas  mercennarias.  Pro  Sest., 
17,  38  :  erat  mihi  contentio  cum  operis  condudis  el  ad 
diripiendam  urbem  concitatis.  Suet.,  Aug.,  3  :  divisor es 
operasque  campestres.  It  could  not  properly  be  applied 
to  foreign  troops  or  to  the  class  referred  to  in  Caes., 
B.  C,  I,  3  :  omnes  amid  co7isulum,  necessarii  Pompeii 
atque  eorum  qui  veteres  inimicitias  cum  Caesare  gerebant 
in  senatum  coguntur.     (Anton.) 

quorum  .  .  .  noverca:  these  words,  inappropriate  in 
the  mouth  of  the  democratic  leader  Caesar,  are  imitated 
from  the  younger  Scipio's  famous  rebuke  to  the  angry 
populace :  taceant,  quibus  Italia  noverca  est  .  .  .  non 
efficietis  ut  solutos  verear  quos  alligatos  adduxi.  (Val. 
Max.,    VI,    2,    3.)    Cf.  Veil.    Pat.,    II,    4,    4.    Plut., 


188    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Apophtheg.,  p.  201  F.  De  Viris  Illustr.  (ascribed  to 
Aurel.  Victor),  LVIII,  8.  In  Plato,  Menex.,  p.  237  B, 
occur  the  words :  avroxOova's,  koI  tiS  ovtl  iu  Trarpt'St 
olKOvvTa'i  /cat  ^covra5,  Kat  rpecfjofxevov^  ow;^  virb  iJ.r]rpvLd<;, 
ws  oi  aWoi,   dAA'    vtto  jxrjTpo'i,  T^<i  ;>(w/3as   ev  y]  wkovv. 

(P.  Wesseling.) 

quorum:  agrees  with  the  sense  of  02Jerae;  emptae,  165, 
with  its  grammatical  gender. 

mea  Roma:  love  of  country  and  pride  of  birth  speak 
together  in  this  possessive. 

167.  sine  vindice:  with  impunity. 

168.  (dextram)  vinciet:  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  II,  48  (Hannibal 
to  his  soldiers  on  the  demand  of  the  Roman  envoys) : 

(me)  evincta  lacerandum  tradite  dextra. 
dextram  refers  to  the  custom  of  handcuffing  a  prisoner 
to  his  guard.     Cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  XII,  460  :  dextras  .  .  . 
insertare  catenis.     Sen.,  de  Tranq.  Animi,  10,  2  f. 

ignavus:  perhaps  a  thrust  at  Pompey,  as  no  longer 
fit  for  war.     Cf.  Lucan,  I,  311  ff. 

ite  furentes :  cf .  Lucan,  X,  393  :  ite  feroces.  Moessler 
objects  that  furentes  is  not  in  keeping  with  Caesar's 
character.  But  it  is  in  no  way  at  odds  with  the  con- 
ventional picture  of  him,  with  its  mixture  of  demigod 
and  Cyclops.  Lucan's  Caesar  ranges  freely  from  lofty 
chivalry  to  brutal  savagery.  Moreover,  the  word, 
as  Anton  remarks,  is  so  commonly  apphed  to  fighting 
men  that  it  becomes  a  mere  conventional  epithet.  Cf. 
Lucan,  II,  439:  Caesar  in  arma  furens.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I, 
491;  IV,  42  f.  Stat.,  Theb.,  VI,  788;  XII,  763.  Val. 
Place,  I,  144. 


Commentary  189 

169.  mei  comites  —  the  commilitones  with  which 
Caesar  addressed  his  men  (Suet.,  ltd.,  67). 

causam  dicite  ferro :  cf.  Ch.  112,  6:  {militern)  gladio 
ius  didurum  ignaviae  suae. 

causam  dicere:  the  technical  phrase  for  pleading  a 
case  is  here  used  ironically  by  Caesar,  who  had  been 
forced  to  appeal  to  the  sword  and  who  "realized  fully  the 
truth  of  the  saying :  silent  leges  inter  arma  (Cic,  pro 
Mil,  IV,  11).  Cf.  Plut.,  Caes.,  35  :  ovk  e4>r]  t6v  airov 
ottXwv  kol  vo/xoyv  Kaipbv  etvai  (see  on  292).  Cf.  also  Plut., 
Pomp.,  10.  The  expression  was  perhaps  suggested 
by  the  anecdote  found  in  Plut.,  Caes.,  29,  of  officers 
sent  from  Cisalpine  Gaul  to  represent  Caesar's  claims 
before  the  Senate  :  Xeyerat  tlvo.  twv  dc^ty/aeVwv  Trap  'avTOv 
Ta$Lap)(0)v,  .  .  .  Trv96fX€vov,  ws  oi  St'SajCTcr  rj  yepovaca  Katcrapt 
Xpovov  rrj?  apXV?'  AAA'  avrr),  4>dvaL,  Soiaei-  Kpovaavra  tyj 
Xetpi   Tr]v  Aa/3^v  t^S  pja.f(aLpa<i.       (Also   Po7np.,58.)      Cf. 

App.,  B.  C,  II,  25,  where  the  retort  is  ascribed  to 
Caesar  himself.  Suet.,  Aug.,  26,  and  Dio,  XLVI, 
43,  tell  it  of  the  officers  of  Octa\nanus.  Cf.  also 
Caesar's  forcible  entrance  into  the  Treasury  at  Rome 
(see  on  292). 

170.  crimen:  the  charge  or  charges  which  would  be 
brought  against  Caesar  by  his  enemies  if  he  returned  to 
Rome  as  a  private  citizen.  His  fall  would  not  only  de- 
prive his  men  of  their  promised  rewards,  but  expose  them 
to  punishment  as  his  accomplices. 

vocat:  sc.  in  periculum  or  in  iudicium. 

171.  reddenda  est  gratia:  for  the  commoner  gratiam 
referre. 


190    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

172.  non  solus  vici:  cf.  Caes.,  B.  G.,  I,  40:  Cimbris 
et  Teutonis  a  C.  Mario  pulsis,  non  minorem  laudem 
exercitus  quam  ipse  imperator  meritus  vi  ehatur. 

Lucan,  VII,  264  f.  (Introd.,  p.  83). 
Caesar  was  always  most  generous  in  recognizing  the 
services  of  his  officers  and  men. 

poena:   cf.  Lucan,  VII,  303  (Introd.,  p.  84). 
tropaeis:  "victories."     Cf.  inump/zi's,  157  and  163. 

173.  sordes:  lit.  "dirt,"  then  used  of  the  mourning 
assumed  by  persons  arraigned  on  a  serious  charge,  which 
etiquette  decreed  should  be  as  shabby  and  squahd  as 
possible,  the  whole  custom  running  directly  counter  to 
our  notions  of  self-respecting  conduct.  Cf.  Cic,  pro 
Clu.,  18,  praesto  est  mulier  .  .  .  crudelis,  .  .  .  squalore 
huius  et  sordibus  laetatur. 

meruit:  the  regular  word  for  military  service,  forms 
an  effective  contrast  with  sordes.  The  service  which 
should  have  led  to  a  triumph  threatens  to  lead  to  dis- 
grace. 

174.  iudice  .  .  .  alea:  based  on  the  story  of  Caesar's 
words  at  the  Rubicon  :  eatur,  inquit,  quo  deorum  ostenta 
et  inimicorum  iniquitas  vocat.  iacta  est  alea.  (Suet.,  Jul., 
32.  Cf.  Plut.,  Caes.,  32.  App.,  B.  C,  II,  35).  Cf. 
Lucan,  VI,  6-8  (Caesar  at  Dyrrachium)  : 

funestam  mundo  votis  petit  omnibus  horam 
in  casura  quae  cuncta  ferat :  placet  alea  fati 
alterutrum  mersura  caput. 

VI,  603  :   alea  fati.    At  the  Rubicon  he  makes  Caesar 
say: 


Commentary  191 

te,  Fortuna,  sequor.     procul  hinc  iam  foedera  sunto 
credidimus  fatis.    utendum  est  iudice  bello.       (I,  226  f.) 

sumite  helium:  cf.  283.  Ch.  89,  62:  hellumque 
summit.  Florus,  IV,  12,  24  :  hoc  velut  sacramento  sum-p- 
serant  helium.  Shakspere,  Twelfth  Night,  V,  1 :  "Take 
thy  fortunes  up." 

175.  temptate:  cf.  Ch.  89,  58:  temptant  in  armis  se 
duces.     (Burmann.) 

causa  peracta  est:  "my  case  is  won,"  legal  language 
again.    Cf.  Ch.  137,  9,  6  : 

et  peragat  causas,  sitque  Catone  prior, 

Cic,  Sest.,  87.  Hor.,  Serm.,  I,  10,  26.  Ascon.,  in  Mil, 
47,  95.  In  the  language  of  the  arena,  peractum  est 
meant  just  the  opposite  of  this :  "it's  all  up"  sc.  with 
the  defeated  gladiator.  Seneca  is  inordinately  fond  of 
the  phrase  in  this  sense,  putting  it  into  the  mouths  of 
many  of  his  tragic  heroes  and  heroines. 

176.  With  the  lofty  confidence  here  expressed,  cf .  the 
latter  part  of  the  speech  by  which  Caesar  brought  his 
panic-stricken  and  mutinous  soldiers  to  their  senses  on 
the  eve  of  his  campaign  against  Ariovistus  {B.  G.,  I,  40). 

177.  personuit :  for  a  more  reasonable  use  of  the  word, 
cf.  Claud.,  de  Bell.  Get.,  450  f. : 

ipso  Roma  die  (nee  adhuc  ostenditur  auctor) 
personuit  venisse  ducem. 

Delphicus  ales:  either  the  raven  or  the  falcon,  both  of 
which  were  sacred  to  Apollo.  For  the  former,  cf.  Ov., 
Met.,  II,  544  ff. :  for  the  latter,  Od.,  XV,  525  f. 


192    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

178.  omina  .  .  .  dedit:  in  such  expressions  as  this 
do  =  facio  and  represents  the  survival  of  a  verb  akin  to 
Tid-qfXL.  It  is  used  in  a  great  many  phrases  by  Lucretius 
and  Vergil  (see  Munro's  note  to  Lucr.,  IV,  41). 
Sometimes  in  a  given  phrase  facere  and  dare  are  inter- 
changeable, as  with  potestatem,  to  give  permission  or 
opportunity. 

pepulitque  .  .  .  auras:  part  of  the  omens,  which  were 
derived  from  both  the  movements  and  the  cries  of  birds. 
Cf.  Eurip.,  Hipp.,  1058  f.;  and  Soph.,  0.  T.,  965  f. 
Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,  361 : 

et  volucrum  linguas  et  praepetis  omina  pennae. 

de  Salas,  cf.  Suet.,  VitelL,  9 :  praemisso  agmini  laetum 
evenit  auspicium;  siquidem  a  parte  dextra  repente  aquila 
advolavit,  and  Claud.,  7. 

With  the  omen  of  the  bird,  confirmed  by  manifesta- 
tions on  the  left,  cf.  Cic,  Div.,  I,  48  (a  poetical  fragment 
on  Marius,  who  sees  an  eagle  kill  a  serpent)  : 

hanc  ubi  praepetibus  pinnis  lapsuque  volantem 
conspexit  Marius,  divini  numinis  augur, 
faustaque  signa  suae  laudis  reditusque  notavit, 
partibus  intonuit  caeli  pater  ipse  sinistris  : 
sic  aquilae  clarum  firmavit  luppiter  omen. 

179-180.  horrendi  nemoris :  a  grove  of  awful  sanctity. 
Petronius  has  forgotten  that  his  hero  is  among  the 
eternal  snows. 

de   parte   sinistra:     the   Romans,    contrary   to   the 


Commentary  193 

Greeks,  generally  regarded  omens  from  the  left  as 
favorable.     Cf.  Enn.,  Fr.,  527  : 

turn  tonuit  lae\Tim  bene  tempestate  serena. 

Cie.,  Div.,  II,  39.  Dion.  Hal,  II,  5.  Nonius,  p.  51  M. 
Donat.,  ad  Aen.,  II,  693.  In  poetry,  however,  the 
Greek  \'iew  is  sometimes  adopted  without  warning. 
E.g.  contrast  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  54  and  693. 

insolitae  voces:  cf.  the  story  of  Aius  Locutius  or  Lo- 
quens,  Cic,  Div.,  II,  32,  69.     For  the  adjective,  cf.  136. 

flamma  .  .  .  sequenti :  of  course  merely  the  harmless 
appearance  of  fire,  as  in  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  680  ff.  Liv.,  I, 
39,  1-2. 

181-182.   nitor  Phoebi:    the  shining  face  of  the  sun. 

laetior:  more  brilliant  than  usual.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aew.,  I, 
228  f.  :  tristior  .  .  .  adloquitur  Venus.  Latior,  the 
reading  of  most  of  the  Mss.,  is  not  only  flat,  but  tau- 
tological with  vulgato  .  .  .  orbe,  "with  disc  fully  re- 
vealed," and  credit,  "appeared  larger  than  usual." 

183.  Mavortia  signa:   signa  viilitaria. 

184.  de  Salas,  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  Ill,  516  f. : 
rumpit  inaccessos  aditus,  atque  ardua  primus 
exsuperat. 

Four  readings  may  be  derived  from  the  Mss. :  insolito 
gressu  .  .  .  ausus;  insolitos  gressus  .  .  .  ausu;  inso- 
lito gressus  .  .  .  ausu;  and  insolitos  gressu  .  .  .  aiisus. 
The  first  two  give  undue  emphasis  to  gressus  or  gressu. 
In  the  third,  gressus  ausu  occupare  is  an  inversion  which 
weakens  instead  of  strengthening  the  line.  The  last 
form,  however,  restores  things  to  their  proper  balance : 


194    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Caesar,  striding  ahead,  takes  the  initiative  in  this  un- 
accustomed enterprise  (civil  war).  Gressu  prior  occu- 
pat  belong  together.  Gressu  prior  describes  Caesar's 
impetuous  action.  Prior  occupat  —  the  adjective 
"squints"  —  is  like  Vergil's:  occupat  Aeneas  aditum 
(^ew.,  VI,  424),  and  refers  to  his  anticipating  the  action 
of  the  other  party.  In  this  sense  occupo  =  4>0dv<j), 
which  is  also  at  times  strengthened  by  the  addition  of 
TrpcuTos  (e.g.  Xen.,  An.,  Ill,  4,  20). 

185-186.  vincta  .  .  .  humus:  cf.  nimbos  .  .  .  liga- 
tos,  187,  and  undarum  vincula,  188. 

pruina:    cf.  Sil.  Ital.  (quoted  on  144-145). 

non  pugnavit  .  .  .  quievit:  the  ice  remains  firm  and 
quiet,  in  contrast  to  what  follows.  "Offered  no 
resistance"  at  first  seems  strange  in  this  connection, 
but  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  when  the  ice  breaks  that 
the  struggle  commences  and  progress  is  impeded.  Miti- 
que  horror e  contrasts  the  slight  "scrunching"  sound 
made  by  marching  over  the  firm  crust  with  the  noise  of 
cracking  ice  and  falling  bodies  which  follows. 

187  ff.  On  the  relation  of  this  passage  to  Liv.,  XXI, 
35-36  and  58,  see  Introd.,  p.  38.     Cf.  35,  12  : 

omnis  enim  ferme  via  praeceps,  angusta,  luhrica  erat, 
ut  neque  sustinere  se  a  lapsu  possent,  nee,  qui  paulum 
titubassent,  haerere  adflicti  vestigia  suo,  aliique  super  alios 
et  iumenta  in  homines  occiderent.  36,  6  ff. :  ut  vero  tot 
hominum  iumentorumque  incessu  dilapsa  est  (nix),  per 
nudam  infra  glaciem  fluentemque  tabem  liqucscentis  nivis 
ingrcdiebantur.    taetra  ibi  luctatio  erat  lubrica  glade  non 


Commentary  195 

recipiente  vestigium  et  in  prono  citius  pedes  fallen' ^  .  .  . 
ita  in  levi  tantum  glade  tabidaque  nive  volutahantur. 
iumenta  secahant  interdum  etiam  infimam  ingredientia 
niveni,  et  prolapsa  iactandis  gravius  in  conitendo  ungidis 
penitus  perfringehant,  ut  plcraque  velut  pedica  capta 
haererejit  in  dura  et  alte  concreta  glacie.  58,  3  ff.  :  vento 
mixtus  imber  cum  ferretur  in  ipsa  or  a  '.  .  .  tum  vero 
ingenti  sono  caelum  strepere  et  inter  horrendos  frag  ores 
micare  ignes  .  .  .  tandem  effuso  imbre,  cum  eo  magis 
accensa  vis  venti  esset  .  .  .  et  max  aqua  levata  vento  cum 
super  gelida  montium  iuga  concreta  esset,  tantum  nivosae 
grandinis  deiecit  ut  omnibus  omissis  procumberent  homi- 
nes.   Sil.  Ital.,  Ill,  547  ff. : 

mutatur  iam  forma  locis.     hie  sanguine  multo 

inf ectae  rubuere  nives :   hie  neseia  vinei 

paulatim  glacies  cedit  tepefacta  cruore  ; 

dumque  premit  sonipes  duro  vestigia  cornu 

ungula  perfossis  haesit  eomprensa  pruinis. 

nee  pestis  lapsus  simplex  :   abscissa  relinquunt 

membra  gelu  ;   fractosque  asper  rigor  amputat  artus. 

IV,  749-752  : 

scandunt  praerupti  nimbosa  eaeumina  saxi ; 
nee  superasse  iugum  finit  muleetve  laborem. 
plana  natant,  putrique  gelu  liquentibus  undis 
invia  limosa  restagnant  arva  palude. 

187.  nimbos  .  .  .  ligatos:   iec. 

188.  pavidus:     an    important    word.     The    horses 
have  been  frightened  by  finding  themselves  on  treach- 


196    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

erous  ground,  and  their  plunging  and  trampling  in- 
creases the  strain  on  the  ice  (cf.  Liv.  on  187  ff.). 

undarum  vincula:  frozen  streams  which  the  army 
is  crossing.     The  author's  topography  is  not  consistent. 

189.  incaluere:  melted.  Cf.  tepefada,  Sil.  Ital., 
(quoted  on  187  ff.). 

flumina:  apparently  cascades  fed  by  the  melting 
snows,  not  the  streams  indicated  in  188. 

190-193.  The  expression  here  is  obscure  and  the  idea 
fantastic.  Petronius  appears  to  mean  that  for  a  short 
time  the  melting  snow  and  ice  ran  down  in  streams, 
then  froze  with  miraculous  suddenness  into  irregular 
masses  more  difficult  to  cross  than  the  former  smooth 
and  slippery  surface. 

190.  iussa:  as  though  by  divine  command.  Anton 
cf.  Lucan,  X,  216  f.  :  Oceanus  .  .  .  iussus  adest. 
Things  so  described  are,  of  course,  represented  as  in  a 
vassal  state. 

191.  vinda  .  .  .  ruina:  the  frozen  torrent.  Moess- 
ler  cf.  Lucan,  VI,  348  f. :  subitaeque  ruinam  \  sensit 
aquae  Nereus. 

stupuere :   hung  motionless. 

192.  paido  ante:  modifying  lues  and  opposed  to  iam 
(cf.  the  Greek  ol  rore  avOpwrroi).  "What  was  recently 
flowing  freely  was  now  hard  and  sohd." 

liies:   the  melted  snow  and  ice. 
concidenda:   this  was  no  half -frozen  slush,  but  solid 
ice  which  would  yield  only  to  edged  tools. 

193.  male  fida  prills:  treacherous  before  :  its  pres- 
ent state  was  worse.     Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  23 :    statio 


Commentary  197 

male  fida  carinis.     Anton,  cf.  Florus,  III,  4,  5 :    duni 
perfidum  glacieflumen  eqidtatur. 
vestigia  lusit:   refused  a  foothold. 

194.  turmae:    includes  the  horses. 

195.  congesta  strue  .  .  .  iacebant:  lay  in  heaps. 
Strue  represents  the  state,  iacebant  its  continuance  also. 

deplorata :  past  hope  of  rising  again.  -Deplorare  was 
used  of  wailing  over  the  dead,  and  thence  transferred 
to  an}i;hing  given  up  for  lost.     Cf.  227. 

196.  rigido  .  .  .  flamine:  cf.  Shelley's  "frozen  wind" 
("A  Widow  Bu-d"). 

197.  rupti  turbine  venti:  Anton,  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II, 
416: 

adversi  rupto  ceu  quondam  turbine  venti. 

Here  the  epithet  is  transferred.  Some  Mss.  give 
rupto,  but  rupti  is  to  be  preferred,  not  only  as  the 
better  attested,  but  as  the  dificilior  lectio. 

198.  confraclum  grandine  caelum:  the  sky  shattered 
into  hail. 

199-200.  nubes  rupiae  and  unda  suggest  a  heavy 
downpour  of  rain;  but,  as  concreta  gelu  and  nive  (201) 
show,  snow,  or  possibly  sleet,  must  be  meant. 

super  arma.     See  Introd.,  p.  54. 

concreta  gelu:   cf.  150,  glade  concreta. 

201-202.  victa,  etc.  :  the  earth  and  the  frozen  rivers 
were  buried  under  the  snow,  and  the  sky  hidden  by  the 
storm.     Cf.  Laudes.  Here,  125  f.: 

solque  licet  glaciali  frigore  victus 
abstrusum  mundu  claudat  iubar. 


198    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

203.  nondum  Caesar  erat:  sc.  victus:  with  the  fol- 
lowing picture  of  the  indomitable  Caesar,  cf.  Sil.  Ital., 
Ill,  500  ff.  (Hannibal  crossing  the  Alps)  : 

at  miles  dubio  tardat  vestigia  gressu 
impia  ceu  sacros  in  fines  arma  per  orbem 
(natura  prohibente)  ferant,  divisque  repugnent. 
contra  quae  ductor  :   non  Alpibus  ille  nee  ullo 
turbatus  terrore  loci ;   sed  languida  monstris 
corda  virum  fovet  hortando,  revocatque  vigorem. 

magnam  .  .  .  hastam:  cf.  the  ingens  hasta  of  Mars, 
268.  Caesar  is  here  endowed  with  one  of  his  attributes. 
Cf.  Lucan,  VII,  567  ff.,  where  Caesar  at  Pharsalus  is 
compared  to  Mars  and  Bellona. 

204.  With  this  imaginary  picture  cf.  Caesar's  own 
account  of  his  crossing  of  the  snow-covered  C^vennes 
in  midwinter,  51  :  etsi  mons  Gehenna  .  .  .  durissimo 
tempore  anni  altissima  nive  iter  impediebat,  tamen  dis- 
cussa  nive  in  altitiidinem  pedum  sex  atque  iia  viis  pate- 
factis,  siimmo  militum  svdore  ad  fines  Arvernorum 
pervenit  .  .  .  ne  singulari  quidem  umq^iam  homini  eo 
tempore  anni  semitae  patuerant.    {B.  G.,  VII,  8.) 

horrida  .  .  .  arva:  fields  where  the  snow  crust  had 
been  broken. 

securis  .  .  .  gressibus:  as  confident  as  if  he  were  on 
even  ground. 

205-206.  Gaucasea  .  .  .  arce:  the  Caucasus  was 
the  scene  of  Prometheus's  punishment  until  Heracles 
liberated  him.     Cf.  Aesch.,  Prom..,  871  ff. 

arduus:  Vergil  apphes  this  term  to  the  Cyclops,  Aen., 
Ill,  619. 


Commentary  199 

Amphitryoniades :  cf.  CatulL,  LXVIII,  112  (de  Salas) ; 
and  Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  486.  Cf.  also  270  and  note.  Sil. 
Ital,  III,  496^99  : 

primus  inexpertas  adiit  Tirjmthius  arces. 
scindentem  nubes,  frangentemque  ardua  mentis 
spectarunt  Superi,  longisque  ab  origine  saeclis 
intemerata  gradu  magna  vi  saxa  doniantem. 

(For  the  lines  which  follow,  see  on  203.) 
torvo  Iiippiter  ore:    Jupiter  in  his  WTath. 

207.  Cf.  //.,  I,  44  : 

fiij  0£  KUT    Ol'XviXTTOLO  KaprjVMV  ^(DO/xevos  KYjp. 

Lucan,  YII,  144  ff.,  compares  the  preparations  for 
Pharsalus  to  those  for  the  battle  of  the  gods  and  giants 
(Hes.,  Theog.,  664  ff.). 

208.  disiecit:  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  283  (the  giants  at- 
tempt to  scale  heaven)  : 

ter  pater  exstructos  disiecit  fulmine  mentis. 

209.  Moessler  is  certainly  right  in  referring  this 
line  to  the  descent  from  the  Alps.  Cf.  arce,  205  ; 
Grat.,  Cyneg.,  524 :  Aetnaeas  .  .  .  arces.  Tumidas, 
moreover,  applied  to  fortifications,  would  be  inflated 
Lmguage  indeed,  deprimit  =  "descend,"  with  the  ad- 
ditional idea  of  difficulty  overcome,  and  so  of  mastery. 
Moessler  extends  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  to  include 
the  capture  of  Ariminum  and  the  other  towns  on  the 
march  to  Rome,  but  this  is  doubtful,  as  Fama,  below, 
knows  nothing  of  it. 


200    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

210-211.   With  this  episode  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  IV,  1-9 : 

Fama  per  Ausonias  turbatas  spargitur  urbes 
nubiferos  montes  et  saxa  minantia  caelo 
accepisse  iugum,  Poenosque  per  invia  vectos, 
aemulaque  Herculei  iactantem  facta  laboris 
descendisse  ducem.     diros  canit  improba  motus 
et  gliscit  gressu  volucrique  citatior  Euro 
terrificis  quatit  attonitas  rumoribus  arces. 
astruit  auditis,  docilis  per  inania  rerum 
pascere  rumorem  vulgi,  pavor. 

motis  conterrita  pinnis:  startled  and  flapping  her 
wings.  The  words  contain  an  echo  of  Verg.,  Aen.,  V, 
215:  plausumque  exterrita  pinnis  (dat.).  Cf.  Ov., 
Met.,  II,  547  ff.  :  motis  |  consequitur  pinnis  .  .  .  cor- 
nix. 

Moessler  argues  that  pinnis  =  arcibus,  and  should 
be  construed  as  Ablative  of  Means  with  coroterrita  : 
"frightened  by  the  capture  of  the  towns,"  i.e.  the  de- 
struction of  the  fortifications.  The  word-order,  he 
thinks,  is  against  construing  the  ablative  with  volat. 
In  support  of  this  view  might  be  cited  Sen.,  Tro.,  1074  . 

summisque  pinnis  arbiter  belli  sedens. 

but  Vergil's  description  had  fixed  Fama  in  the  Roman 
mind  as  a  winged  creature,  so  that  if  Petronius  had 
written  the  words  with  the  meaning  given  by  Moessler 
in  mind  he  would  simply  have  laid  himself  open  to 
misunderstanding.  Nor  does  it  strain  the  Latin  as 
much   to   take   motis  .  .  .  pinnis   as   an   Ablative   of 


Commentary  201 

Manner  with  volat,  as  to  make  motis  describe  the  capture 
or  destruction  of  fortifications.  Conterrita  shows  that 
Fama  herself  shares  the  emotions  with  which  she  in- 
spires others. 

Fama  volat:  also  the  opening  words  of  Verg.,  Aen., 
Ill,  121.    For  the  picture  here  cf.  Aen.,  IV,  184-187 : 

nocte  volat  caeli  medio  terraeque  per  umbram, 
stridens,  nee  dulci  dechnat  lumina  somno. 
luce  sedet  custos  aut  summi  cuhnine  tecti 
turribus  aut  altis,  et  magnas  territat  urbes. 

Also  VII,  512  (Allecto).  Stat.,  Theb.,  I,  123  f. ;  II, 
208  f . : 

Thebas 
insiht  et  totis  perfundit  moenia  pennis. 

Palati:  the  cradle  of  Rome,  and  destined  to  be  the 
site  of  the  imperial  residence. 

212.  Cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  Ill,  423 :  armorum  tonitru 
ferit.    Sil.  Ital.,  IV,  7  (quoted  on  210). 

Romano  tonitru  .  .  .  omnia  signa:  "the  Roman 
thunderbolt"  is  the  news  of  civil  war,  the  signa  the 
statues  of  the  gods,  including,  by  synecdoche,  their 
temples.  But  the  line  is  awkward  and  unsatisfactory. 
Bouhier  read  Romanos,  to  which  Buecheler  suggests 
adding  obvia,  joining  obvia  signa  to  what  follows  as  the 
fir.st  item  of  the  bad  news.  There  is  no  authority  for 
adopting  this,  but  it  is  certainly  the  more  satisfactory 
version  of  the  line. 

213.  iam  classes  Jlidtare  mari :  his  fleets  were  already 
at  sea.    For  the  verb,  cf.  281.    Stat.,  Theb.,  VII,  808 : 


202    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

helium  fiuitans  -  navale.  (Anton.)  In  Florus,  II,  2,  32  : 
cum  Punicae  .  .  .  frustrarentur  et  fiuitarent,  it  means 
"were  scattered,  drifting." 

Fama  is  exaggerating.  Caesar  was  always  weak  in 
sea  power. 

With  this  and  the  following  Hne  cf.  Caes.,  B.  C,  I,  14  : 
Caesar  enim  adventare  iam  iamque  et  adesse  eius  equites 
falso  nuntiabantur. 

213-214.   Cf.  Lucan,  II,  439  ff.  (see  on  291),  534-536  : 

ardent  Hesperii  saevis  populatibus  agri : 
Gallica  per  gelidas  rabies  effunditur  Alpes  : 
iam  tetigit  sanguis  poUutos  Caesaris  enses. 

214:.  fervere :  "swarm."  Forscansion,  seeIntrod.,p.  61. 

Germano  .  .  .  sanguine:  cf.  163.  German  blood  is, 
of  course,  meant  in  both  places,  but  the  ominous  play 
on  words  {germanus  =  fraternal)  would  have  had  its 
effect.  So  the  soldiers  of  Lepidus  and  Plancus,  who 
had  both  caused  their  brothers  to  be  proscribed, 
chanted  at  their  triumph  : 

de  germanis  non  de  Gallis  duo  triumphant  consules. 

(Veil.  Pat.,  II,  67.)  Cf.  Cic,  Phil,  XI,  6,  14:  nisi 
forte  iure  germanum  Cimber  occidit. 

215.  Throughout  Italy  people  expected  a  renewal  of 
the  scenes  of  the  last  civil  war.  Caesar  was  an  object 
of  terror  until  his  generous  conduct  at  Corfiniimi  (B.  C, 
I,  22  f.)  relieved  men's  apprehension.     See  on  98. 

totaque  bella:  all  the  horrors  of  war,  summing  up 
arma,  cruor,  caedes,  incendia. 


Commentary  203 

216.  pulsata  htmultu:  smitten  with  panic.  Cf. 
Petr.,  Fr.,  XXVIII  (Buecheler),  3: 

subitis  riunoribus  oppida  pulsat. 

Caes.,  B.  C,  I,   14:    quibus  rebus  Romam  nuntiatis 
tardus  repente  terror  invasit,  etc. 

217.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  39  : 

scinditur  incertum  studia  in  contraria  vulgus. 

Moessler  reads  per  dubias  because  three  possibihties 
are  mentioned  below  (2 1 8-2 19).  This  makes  a  smoother 
reading  than  that  of  the  Mss.,  where  sunt  has  to  be 
understood  with  pxdsata  .  .  .  pedora,  but  the  argu- 
ment for  it  is  not  conclusive,  as  duas  might  not  un- 
naturall}^  refer  only  to  the  counsels  of  the  panic- 
stricken,  those  who  wish  to  fight  being  introduced  as 
an  afterthought. 

218  ff.  With  the  following,  cf.  Dio,  XLI,  7  f.  :  or  re 
yap  €^t6vT€s  (rjcrav  8e  ttoivtcs  ws  eiTretv  ot  Trpwrot  kol  tt^s 
(3ov\r]<;  /cat  rJys  iTTTraSo?  Ko.t  Trpoaert  Kat  to  tov  o/xiXov)  \6yu> 
fikv  CTTt  TToAc/xw  a<f>(i)pn.(i)VTO,  £py<{>  0€  TO,  TWV  iaXwKOTWV 
€Traa)(ov.  ttjv  re  ya,o  irarpiha  Kat  ras  ev  avrfj  8iaTpi(ia<;  e/<At- 
Tretv  Kat  to.  dWorpta  TCi-^r]  oiKUoTtpa.  tw  acjierepwv  vajxit^uv 
avayKa^ofxevoi  Setvojs  eXvirovvTO.  ■  ■  ■  wcrre  Kat  is  dfJ.(fiLfSoXov 
Kal  rats  yvw/j-ais  kol  Tat?  €V)(<us  reus  re  (.Xiricn  Kautardp-cvoL 
Tots  T£  croj/xarrtr  dpa  dvo  Twv  oiKetorarwi/  (rc^t'frtv  direa-TrwvTO 
Kal  Tas  ij/v^as  ^^X"-  ^'■'{jpovvTo  .  .  .  ot  o  VTroXenrop.€voL  .  .  . 
iv  TTj  i^ovata  rov  Trj<;  ttoAcws  KparrjaovTos  i(Top.evot  .  .  . 
VTTo  Tcru  (f>6(3ov  Kat  TWV  v(ipe.oiv  kol  twv  (T(f)aywv  ws  Kat 
ytyvo/xeVcov  y/Stj  iTaXaciru) povv.       Cf.    also    Caes.,  B.   C,  1, 

14  (seeon21G). 


204    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

218.  Throughout  this  passage  there  are  many 
touches  which  show  that  Petronius  is  thinking  less  of 
Rome  than  of  Troy  (see  on  115).  Here,  for  instance, 
he  would  scarcely  have  mentioned  flight  by  sea  but  for 
the  memory  of  Aeneas  and  his  followers. 

219.  Commentators  have  given  themselves  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  over  this  line,  and  offered  all  manner 
of  unintelligible  readings  by  way  of  improvement,  but 
except  for  a  little  excusable  abruptness,  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty with  it  at  all.  The  most  terrified  of  the  emigres, 
feeUng  themselves  unsafe  on  the  same  ground  with 
Caesar,  take  to  the  w^ater,  preferring  the  perils  of  the 
deep  to  the  chance  of  encountering  the  terrible  foe.  To 
appreciate  the  full  force  of  patria  pontus  iam  tutior,  we 
must  remember  that  the  Romans  had  an  inveterate 
dread  of  blue  water,  the  abode,  to  them,  of  shipwTCck, 
squalls,  seasickness,  and  horrors  without  number. 
From  this  topic  Petronius  turns  sharply  to  that  of  the 
party  which  favored  resistance. 

220.  (arma)  temytare :  cf .  175  :  template  manus.  The 
reading  temptata  is  vigorous  and  well  attested,  but  the 
abrupt  change  of  construction  in  uti  renders  it  doubtful. 

fatis  .  .  .  uti:  cf.  Lucan,  I,  227  :  utendum  est  iudice 
hello.     Verg.,  Aen.,  XII,  932  :   utere  sorte  tua. 

221.  A  miserable  fine,  which  adds  nothing  to  the 
passage  and  fails  to  justify  itself.  Moessler  is  prob- 
ably right  in  this  befief  that  it  is  an  interpolation,  com- 
posed of  a  marginal  note :  quantum  .  .  .  fugit,  and 
ocior  ipse,  added  to  fill  out  the  meter  and  connect  the 
line  with  what  follows.  Without  it  220  and  222  fit 
together  perfectly. 


Commentary  205 

222.  motus:  the  conflictiug  currents  of  excitement. 
miserabilevisu:  another  Vergilian  phrase  (see  on  100). 

Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  111. 

223.  rnms  icta:  cf.  pulsata  tumultu  pedora,  216  f. 
Ch.  100,  5:  tarn  inexpectato  ictus  somo  (Anton).  Corn. 
Sev.,  Fr.  de  Morte  Ciceronis,  10  f.: 

ictaque  luctu 
conticuit  Latiae  tristis  facundia  linguae. 

deserta  .  .  .  urbe:  is  carried  away,  leaving  the  city 
empty. 

224.  gaudet  Roma  fuga:  Rome  —  identified  with  her 
citizens — gives  herself  up  without  restraint  to  flight 
(cf.  gaudet,  75).  In  the  same  way  we  speak  of  "  embrac- 
ing" a  faith,  cause,  opportunity,  etc.,  without  neces- 
sarily implying  any  affection  for  it. 

debellatique  Quirites:  ironical,  as  they  had  been  con- 
quered without  a  blow. 

225.  Cf.  Octavia,  509-511.  Sil.  Ital.,  IV,  26-31 
(quoted  on  230-231). 

226.  With  this  part  of  the  description  cf.  Verg.,  Aen., 
II,  486-490.     Liv.,  I,  29. 

227-228.  deploratum  .  .  .  limen.,  cf.  195.  The  op- 
posite of  maerentia  tecta,  225.  There  the  house  was  a 
mourner,  here  the  abandoned  threshold  is  a  corpse 
over  which  the  ceremonies  of  mourning  have  been  held. 
For  figures  drawn  from  the  same  source,  cf.  Cic.  Cat., 
IV,  6,  11;  Pro  Lege  Manil,  11,  30.  Liv.,  Ill,  38,  2: 
deploratur  in  perpetuum  libertas.  IX,  7,  1 :  deploratum 
paene  Romanum  nomen. 


206    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

absentem  .  .  .  hostem:  Anton,  cf.  Eurip.,  Hipp.,  44: 
KTcvet  Trarrjp  dpalaiv,  which  is,  however,  meant  seriously, 
while  this  is  sarcastic,  as  in  Cic,  Cat.,  II,  8,  18  :    niagis 
mihi  videntur  vota  faduri  contra  rem  publicam  quam  arma. 
laturi:   and  Liv.,  XXII,  14,  14.    Cf.  Stat.,  Theh.,  II, 

133: 

sic  excitus  ira 

ductor  in  absentem  consimiit  proelia  fratrem. 

229.  Cf.  Lucan,  II,  30  f . :  hae  pectora  duro  |  adfiixere 
solo. 

230-231.  grandaevos  .  .  .  inventus. ■  another  echo 
of  the  Aeneid.  Cf .  Sil.  Ital.,  IV,  27-32  (of  the  flight  from 
Rome  before  Hannibal's  approach)  : 

deseruere  larem  ;  portant  cervicibus  aegras 
attoniti  matres  ducentesque  ultima  fila 
grandaevos  rapuere  senes  ;  tum  crine  soluto 
ante  agitur  coniunx,  dextra  laevaque  trahuntur 
parvi,  non  aequo  comitantes  ordine,  nati. 
sic  vulgus  ;  traduntque  metus,  nee  poscitur  auctor. 

Of  course  to  introduce  these  details  of  the  heroic  age  into 
a  picture  of  Caesar's  time  was  absurd,  but  it  is  quite 
consistent,  not  only  with  Petronius's  theory,  but  with 
Lucan's  practice  (cf.  any  of  his  battle-pieces).  The 
first  difficulty  arises  with  onerisque  ignara  inventus.  As 
this  is  the  subject  of  what  follows,  and  patres  the  object, 
the  coordinating  -que  is  out  of  place.  To  remedy  this 
Anton  drops  it,  defending  the  metrical  irregularity 
by  Vergil's  example  (e.g.  pulvls,  I,  478).  Hximeris 
(Auratus) ,  and  non  gnara  have  also  been  proposed.     The 


Commentary  207 

first  and  last  of  these,  although  by  no  means  certain,  are 
by  far  the  best,  and  have  the  support,  in  form  and  mean- 
ing, of  Ch.  102,  12  :  iuvenes  adhuc  laboris  expertes,  i.e. 
unhardened  to  endurance  by  toil  and  suffering.  For  the 
thought  cf.  also  84. 

id  .  .  .  trahit:  certainly  not  genuine.  It  breaks  the 
thought  begun  in  the  preceding  line  and  substitutes  a 
general  statement  for  it;  it  is  utterly  flat,  and  its  style 
is  suggestive  of  the  equally  unworthy  :  quantum  quisque 
timet  tantum  fugit,  221  (see  note).  Moessler  is  right 
in  rejecting  it  as  a  gloss  which  displaced  the  original 
words,  describing  the  carrying  away  of  the  old  men, 
although  it  is  rash  to  venture  to  replace  them  as  he  does 
(in  primis  aptat  cervicihus). 

Some  editors  have  tried  to  combine  230  -wath  229 
(Anton:  "coniuges  uxores  secum  abducebant,  iuvenes 
autem  patres  longaevos  quibus  ferendis  erant  impares, 
trahebant")  but,  as  the  language  shows,  229  refers  to 
a  farewell  embrace,  and  not  to  flight  together.  To 
make  patres  the  object  of  iungant,  as  some  do,  is  equally 
impossible,  as  this  coordinates  it,  not  ^vith  coniugibus^ 
but  with  pedora. 

233-237.   Cf.  Sen.,  Agam.,  138-142,  505-507. 

233.  magnus:  Anton,  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  II,  334:  actum 
.  .  .  magnis  Aquilonibus  imbrem. 

inhorruit:  refers  to  the  gradual  roughening  of  the 
waves  as  the  storm  approaches.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill, 
195: 

turn  mihi  caeruleus  supra  caput  adstitit  imber 
noctem  hiememque  ferens,  et  inhorruit  unda  tenebris. 


208    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Moessler  sees  in  this  a  device  for  telling  about  those 
who  fled  by  sea  (cf.  218  f.).  To  do  this,  however,  intro- 
duces an  entirely  new  idea  :  a  struggle,  not  with  Caesar, 
but  with  the  elements,  and  gives  to  these  fugitives  an 
importance  which  quite  overshadows  the  certainly  more 
numerous  party  that  sticks  to  dry  land.  He  forgets, 
moreover,  that  Lucan  embodies  the  same  idea  in  his  own 
account  of  the  panic  (see  Introd.,  p.  16),  and  that  it  is 
one  of  the  stock  similes  of  Latin  poetry. 

234.  pulsas  .  .  .  aquas.     Cf.  3. 

arma  =  armamentum :  (Caes.,  B.  G.,  Ill,  14).  Cf. 
Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  177  :  cerealiaque  anna,  i.e.  handmills,  etc. 
for  making  bread. 

ministris  —  nautis :  cf .  Ch.  108,  8  :  navis  ministeriunii 
Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  302  :  velis  ministrare. 

235.  pondera  pinus :  the  sails.  Cf .  Lucan,  I,  500 : 
pondera  mali. 

236.  tula  sinus:  safe  harbors.  Cf.  such  expressions 
as  strata  viarum,  Lucr.  I,  315  ;  IV,  415.  opaca  locorum, 
Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  725. 

237.  dat  vela  fugae :  a  poetical  variant  of  vela  ventis 
dare. 

238.  quid  tarn  parva  querorf  cf.  Ch.  134,  12,  8  :  quid 
leviora  loquor  f 

gemino  cum  consule :  see  on  288-289. 

For  the  impression  made  by  the  departure  of  Pompey 
and  the  consuls,  cf.  Cic,  ad  Att.,  VII,  11,4:  mira  homi- 
num  querela  est  .  .  .  sine  niagistratibus  urbem  esse,  sine 
senatu.  fugiens  denique  Pompeius  mirabiliter  homines 
movet.    Florus,  IV,  2,  20 :  turpe  dictu:  modo  princeps 


Commentary  209 

patmm,  pacts  bellique  moderator,  per  triumphatum  a  se 
mare  .  .  •  fugiebat.  nee  Pompeius  ah  Italia,  quam 
Senatus  ab  urbe,  fugatur  prior. 

239.  Ponti:  Moessler  prints  this  word  with  a  capital 
both  here  and  241,  attributing  the  repetition  to  the 
lack  of  ultima  mamis.  Buecheler  reads  ponti  here  and 
Pontus  below.  But  the  opposite  seems-  more  natural, 
as  this  line  would  then  refer  entirely  to  Pompey's 
\actories  in  Asia,  241-242  to  those  at  sea.  Fracto 
gurgite  shows  that  the  kingdom  of  Pontus  cannot  be 
meant  in  241. 

repertor  Hydaspis :  Pompey's  conquests  really  did  not 
go  beyond  the  Euphrates,  but  the  mention  of  the  Hy- 
daspes,  on  whose  banks  Alexander  overthrew  Porus, 
suggests  a  comparison  with  the  great  Macedonian  (cf. 
Phn.,  quoted  on  270).  The  Romans  were  not  very  clear 
as  to  the  location  of  the  river  (Verg.,  Ge.,  IV,  211 : 
Medus  Hydaspes),  but  its  name  had  power  to  create  a 
sense  of  awe  and  mystery.  Cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  I,  22,  7  f. : 
fabulosus  .  .  .  Hydaspes. 

240.  Piratarum  scopulus:  an  appropriate  metaphor 
with  regard  to  men  whose  heritage  was  the  sea.  It  was 
also  common  in  other  connections.  Cf.  Caes.  (in  Gell., 
I,  10)  :  tanquam  scopulum  sic  fugias  inavditum  atque 
insolcns  verbum.  Cic,  de  Or.,  II,  37,  154  ;  III,  41,  163. 
Florus,  IV,  9,  1.  Val.  Max.,  Ill,  7,  9. 

Pompey  annihilated  the  pirates  in  67. 
ter  ovantem:  cf.  Ch.  133,  3  ;  16  f. : 

et  ter  ovantem 
circa  delubrum  gressum  feret  ebria  pubes. 


210    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Ovare,  technically  applied  to  celebrating  the  lesser 
triumph  on  the  Alban  Mount,  here  =  triumphare. 
Pompey's  three  triumphs  were  held  for  victories  in 
Africa,  in  Spain,  and  over  Mithridates.  Cf.  Plut., 
Pomj).,  45.  Albin.,  Rer.  Rom.,  I  (Prise,  305  K.  Baeh- 
rens,  Fr.  Poet.  Rom. ,  p.  406.   App. Verg. ,  Catalepton,  III) : 

ille  cui  ternis  Capitolia  celsa  triumphis 
sponte  deum  patuere  :   cui  freta  nulla  repostos 
abscondere  sinus  :  non  tutae  moenibus  urbes. 

241-242.  luppiter  horruerat :  for  the  strong  expression, 
cf.  11,  V,  362  : 

TvSttSTjs,  OS  vvv  ye  kol  av  Aii  iraTpi  jxay^OLTO. 

fracto  gurgite  pontus:  the  conquered  sea,  with  refer- 
ence, perhaps,  not  only  to  the  pirates,  but  also  to  Pom- 
pey's many  voyages.     Cf.  Cic,  pro  Lege  Manil.,  12,  34. 

svbmissa  Bosporus  unda:  cf.  Hor.,  Carm.,  II,  9,  21  f. : 

Medumque  flumen  gentibus  additum 
victis  minores  volvere  vertices. 

(Wernsdorff.) 

Lucan,  III,  76  f.  :  id  vincula  Rheno  \  Oceanoque  daret. 

It  was  the  custom  to  display  figures  of  "conquered" 
rivers  and  seas  at  triumphs  and  on  temples  and  arches. 
Cf.  Florus,  IV,  2,  88.  Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill,  27  f.  Oy.,A.A., 
I,  223f.    Pers.  VI,47. 

This  tendency  to  personify  large  bodies  of  water 
and  to  believe  in  their  sympathy  with  their  faithful 
worshippers  and  lively  resentment  of  any  indignity  is  a 
world-wide  and  natural  one.    Cf.  the  story  of  Xerxes 


COMMENTAKY  211 

and  the  Hellespont  (Her.,  VII,  33-35).  Verg.,  Aen., 
VIII,  71  Iff. ;  728:  pontem  indignatus Araxes.  Kipling, 
"The  Bridge-Builders":  "She  is  Mother  Gunga  — in 
irons." 

Moessler  wishes  to  cut  out  everything  between  hor- 
ruerat  and  deserto,  243,  making  one  line : 

luppiter  horruerat,  deserto  nomine  fugit. 

243.  Imperii  deserto  nomine.  Behaving  in  a  manner 
unworthy  of  the  imperium  which  had  been  bestowed 
on  him  by  the  Senate. 

244.  Fortuna  levis:  cf.  102.  Sen.,  Med.,  219: 
rapida  Fortuna  ac  levis.  Tro.,  2  ;  Odavia,  454.  Stat., 
Theb.,  I,  177. 

245-246.   For  the  thought,  cf.  Ch.  89,  53  : 

peritura  Troia  perdidit  primimi  deos. 

Octavia,  159-162. 

ergo :  introducing  a  natural  consequence  rather  than  a 
logical  conclusion.  Cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  489  f.  (following 
the  enumeration  of  portents.    See  on  127) : 

ergo  inter  sese  paribus  concurrere  telis 
Romanas  acies  iterum  videre  Philippi. 

The   emendation   tergo   substitutes   almost   impossible 
Latin  for  something  perfectly  plain  and  simple. 
lues:  "debdcle."     Cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  XII,  184  f. : 

fertur  acerba  lues  disiectis  undique  portis 
effusaeque  ruunt  inopino  flumine  turbae. 


212    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

vicit:  the  Mss.  reading,  vidit,  while  not  impossible, 
lacks  force  and  point.  For  the  combination  lues  .  .  . 
vicit,  cf.  the  language  of  192  and  201  f. 

consensitque :  de  Salas,  cf .  Ch.  89,  39  :  consentiunt 
luminibus. 

fugae:  the  general  panic  and  flight  just  described,  and 
already  signalized  by  the  presence  of  Pompey  and  the 
Consuls  (238). 

caeli  timor:  "dii  caelestes  timentes  ne  in  hoc  hello  et 
ipsi  perturbentur."     (Anton.) 

247.  The  gods  divide  into  three  classes  :  those  who 
take  no  part  at  all  in  the  struggle,  those  who  urge  on 
both  sides  indiscriminately  (254  ff.),  and  those  who  be- 
come patrons  of  one  leader  or  the  other  (264  ff.). 

turba:  cf.  31.  The  use  of  this  word  becomes  a  man- 
nerism with  the  poets  of  the  Empire.  Cf.,  e.g.,  Stat., 
Achill.,  I,  2,  236  :  turba  sumus  (Achilles,  Deidamea,  and 
the  infant  Pyrrhus).  Propert.,  IV,  11,  22  :  Eumenidum 
turba;  31  (of  ancestors);  76  (of  CorneUa's  children). 

furentes:  see  on  168. 

248.  damnatum:  doomed  to  destroy  each  other. 
avertitur:  see  Introd.,  p.  51. 

249.  niveos  pidsata  lacertos:  beating  her  arms  and 
breasts  with  her  hands  in  token  of  mourning,  according 
to  the  ancient  custom. 

With  the  flight  of  Pax,  cf.  Odavia,  424-426. 

250.  palla:   cf.  Hes.,  Works  and  Days,  192-200: 

Koi  Tore  8^  Trpo?  "OXvfXTrov  oltto  ;^^ovos  cvpvooe^r]';, 
XcvKolaiV  <^apie.(T(TL  KaXvij/afievoi  XP^  KaXov, 


Commentary  213 

a6avaLT(av  /xcTa  <^vXov  ltov  rrpoXiiTOVT  avdptairovs 
AiSoJ?  KOL  Ne'/Accrts. 

Wernsdorff,  cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  XI,  495  f. : 

deiectam  in  lumina  pallam 
diva  trahit,  magnoque  fugit  questura  Tonanti. 

Covering  the  head  thus  was  a  sign  of  grief  or  despair. 
Galea,  the  reading  of  the  Mss.,  is  so  inappropriate  to 
the  character  and  attributes  of  Pax  as  to  be  inadmissible. 
The  only  motive  she  could  have  for  assmning  a  helmet 
would  be  that  of  disguise  (cf.  Juv.,  VIII,  203  :  nee  galea 
faciem  abscondit),  but  she  is  represented  here  as  a 
mourner  (249),  and  though  a  fugitive  (251),  there  is  no 
reason  wh}^  she  should  attempt  to  conceal  her  identity. 
For  the  repetition  of  palla  (250,  253),  see  Introd., 
p.  47. 

251.  Ditis  petit  .  .  .  regnum.     Anton,  cf.  Aristoph., 
Pax,  223  : 

o  ndXe/xos  avTTjv  ivi/SaX  eis  avTpov  (Sadv. 

She  takes  refuge  in  Hades  as  its  proper  inhabitants 
desert  it  and  ascend  to  join  in  the  war  (254  ff.). 
implacabile:  cf.  Propert.,  IV,  11,  1-8. 

252.  submissa:   "meek." 

crine  soluto :    in  token  of  mourning.     Cf .  Ch.  Ill,  2  : 
vidgari  more  funus  passis  prosequi  crinibus. 

253.  lustitia :  the  Astraea  virgo  of  the  Octavia,  424  ff. 
lacera  Concordia  palla:   another  token  of  mourning. 

Cf .  the  frequent  reference  to  tlie  rending  of  garments  in 
the  Bible.     In  276  Discordia's  laceratam  vesteni  is  not  for 


214    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

her  own  mourning,  but  a  sjrmbol  of  that  which  she  brings 
upon  others. 

254.  Cf.  67,  101,  124.  Erebus  is  used  for  the  Infer- 
nal Regions  in  general.  With  this  and  the  following 
lines  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill,  551  f. : 

saevit  et  in  lucem  Stygiis  emissa  tenebris 
pallida  Tisiphone  Morbos  agit  ante  Metumque 
inque  dies  avidum  surgens  caput  altius  effert. 

255.  emergit  late:  emerges  and  spreads  far  and  wide, 
like  a  swarm  of  dangerous  insects. 

chorus:  cf.  the  "rout"  of  Comus. 

horrida  Erinys:  bristling  ^vith  snakes.  Tisiphone  is 
probably  the  one  meant.  Cf.  97  and  120.  Megaera  is 
mentioned  in  the  next  line. 

256.  Bellona:  she  was  armed  with  a  scourge,  like  a 
Fury.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VIII,  703.  Lucan,  VII,  568. 
Sil.  Ital,  IV,  441. 

minax:    cf.  263. 

jacihusque  armata  Megaera:  a  torch  and  a  scourge  of 
snakes  were  the  peculiar  attributes  of  the  Furies.  The 
torch  also  appears  as  a  symbol  of  violence  and  destruc- 
tion. Cf.  262  f.,  277.  Sen.,  Thij.,  251 ;  H.  0.,  1003- 
1007.  Florus,  111,12,13:  atqui  haec  Caesarem  atque  Pom- 
peium  furialibus  in  exitiurn  rei  publicae  facibus  armavit. 

257.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  369  :  plurima  mortis  imago. 
Busch,  cf.  Ov.,  Am.,  II,  9,  41.    Verg.,  Aen.,  VII,  326 : 

iraeque  insidiaeque  et  crimina  noxia  cordi. 

Sil.  Ital.,  XIII,  583  :   Curaeque  Insidiaque. 


Commentary  215 

Letum  .  .  .  Mortis  imago:  "  videtur  Letum  .  .  .  fatum 
mortiferwn,  sicut  Krjp  Graecum;  Mors  autem  moriendi 
necessitatem  significare.     Cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  IX,  280  : 

millemodis  leti  miseros  mors  una  fatigat."     (Anton.) 

lurida :  hleme.  Luror  is  used  of  extreme  pallor.  Cf . 
ApuL,  IX,  12  :  luror e  deformes  (of  the  wretched  slaves 
in  the  mill). 

With  these  personifications  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI, 
273-278 : 

vestibulum  ante  ipsum  primisque  in  faucibus  Orci 
Luctus  et  ultrices  posuere  cubilia  Curae  ; 
pallentesque  habitant  Morbi,  tristisque  Senectus, 
et  metus  et  malesuada  Fames  ac  turpis  Egestas. 
terribiles  visu  formae,  Letumque  labosque ; 
turn  consanguineus  Leti  sopor  et  mala  mentis 
Gaudia,  mortiferumque  adverso  in  limine  Bellum, 
ferreique  Eumenidum  thalami  et  Discordia  demens 
vipereum  crinem  \dttis  innexa  cruentis. 

Sen.,  H.  F.,  92-103,  690-696.  Oed.,  588-592,  650  f. 
Stat.,  Theb.,  II,  287  f.  Sil.  Ital.,  II,  548-551 ;  XIII, 
581-587.  Stephen  Phillips  imitates  these  passages  — 
especially  that  of  Vergil  —  with  modern  feeUng  : 

"Right  in  the  threshold  Hunger  stands,  and  Hate, 
And  gliding  Murder  with  his  lighted  face. 
And  Madness  howling,  Fear,  and  neighing  Lust, 
And  Melancholy  with  her  moony  smile, 
And  Beauty  with  blood  dripping  from  her  lips." 

(Ulysses,  II,  1). 


216    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

258.  abruptis  .  .  .  habenis:  two  lines  of  Vergilian 
reminiscence  meet  here.  First,  Petronius  is,  of  course, 
thinking  of  the  closing  of  the  temple  of  Janus  {Aen., 
I,  294  ff.)  : 

Furor  impius  intus 

saeva  sedens  super  arma  et  centum  vinctus  aenis 

post  tergum  nodis  fremet  horridus  ore  cruento. 
of  which  this  picture  is  the  reverse.     But  the  language 
also  suggests  the  simile  of  the  runaway  stalUon : 

qualis  ubi  abruptis  fugit  praesaepia  vinclis 

tandem  hber  ecus,  etc. 
{Aen.,  XI,  492  ff.,  imitated  from  11,  VI.,  506  ff.). 

259-260.  sanguineum  .  .  .  cruenta:  here  sjmony- 
mous.  Ordinarily  sanguineus  means  "blood-red"; 
cruentus,  "blood-stained,"  "gory." 

261.  Mavortius  umbo:  the  shield  of  Mars,  borrowed 
for  the  occasion,  as  Pallas  borrowed  the  accoutrements 
of  Zeus  ill,  V,  736  ff.). 

262.  innumerabilibus  telis  gravis:  Caes.,J5.  C,  III, 
53,  tells  of  a  shield  which  showed  120  scars  received  in 
one  fight.  Cf.  App.,  B.  C,  II,  60.  Lucan,  VI.  140  ff. 
(exaggerated  according  to  his  custom).  Here  the  mis- 
siles are  still  sticking  in  the  shield  and  weighing  it  down, 
Cf.  Stat.,  Theb.,  II,  604  f.  (of  Tydeus) : 

spicula  devellens,  clipeo  quae  plurima  toto 
fixa  tremunt  armantque  virum. 

263.  stipite:  see  on  256.     Cf.  Lucan,  I,  572  f. : 

Erinys 
excutitur  pronam  flagranti  vertice  pinum. 


Commentary  217 

incendia  -portal:    Anton,  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  Ill,   539: 
helium  .  .  .  portas. 
264-270.   Cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  IX,  287  ff. : 

nee  vero,  fati  tarn  saevo  in  turbine,  solum 
terrarum  fuit  ille  labor  :   Discordia  demens 
intra^dt  caelo,  superosque  ad  bella  coegit. 
hinc  Alavors,  liinc  Gradivum  comitatus  Apollo, 
et  domitor  tuniidi  pugnat  maris :  hinc  Venus  amens, 
hinc  Vesta,  et  captae  stimulatus  caede  Sagunti 
Amphitrj^oniades,  pariter  veneranda  Cj^belle, 
indigetesque  dei,  Faunusque,  satorque  Quirinus, 
alternusque  animae  mutato  Castore  Pollux, 
contra,  cincta  latus  ferro,  Saturnia  luno 
et  Pallas,  Libycis  Tritonidos  edita  Ijaiiphis, 
ac  patrius  flcxis  per  tempora  cornibus  Hammon, 
multaque  praeterea  divorum  turba  minorum. 

Moessler  considers  this  paragraph  out  of  place.  Sentit 
terra  deos,  he  says,  is  made  to  refer,  apparentlj^,  to  Ditis 
chorus,  when  it  properly  belongs  to  the  caelites  who 
follow.  Discordia,  moreover,  is  separated  by  it  from 
the  other  infernal  deities,  who  should  blow  the  trum- 
pets of  271.  Pie  would,  therefore,  put  these  seven 
lines  after  294,  closing  the  poem  with  them,  and  making 
excipit  refer  to  Pompcy's  evacuation  of  Italy  (292  ff.), 
which  would  not  have  taken  place  had  the  gods  been 
with  him.  But  this  transposition  involves,  first,  the 
rejection  of  295  (see  note  on  it) ;  second,  the  effect  of 
a  raw  edge  at  the  end  of  the  piece  ;  third,  a  very  abrupt 
change  of  subject  after  Discordia's  speech.    The  objec- 


218    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

tions,  moreover,  to  the  present  arrangement,  are  not 
so  serious  as  Moessler  thinks.  The  sequence  of  thought 
is  perfectly  natural.  The  uproar  on  earth  first  drives 
away  the  minor  divinities  who  dwell  among  men  during 
their  periods  of  good  behavior,  and  who,  naturally,  are 
the  first  to  feel  the  change  (245-253).  Next  it  attracts 
the  fiends  who  delight  in  strife  and  bloodshed  (254-263) . 
The  great  gods,  always  rather  remote  and  self-absorbed, 
are  the  last  to  disturb  themselves.  (It  will  be  observed 
that  Jove  and  his  Stygian  counterpart  (76  ff.  and  122 
ff.)  do  not  deign  to  take  sides.)  But  when,  at  length, 
they  have  chosen  their  parties,  Discordia,  as  umpire 
in  the  coming  contest,  steps  out  and  addresses  the 
combatants.  Sentit  terra  deos  does  look  back  as  well 
as  forward,  and  forms  a  transition.  The  earth  feels 
the  unwonted  burden  of  divinity  —  and  then  we  learn 
that  not  only  Furies  and  fiends,  but  the  highest  gods, 
too,  are  deserting  their  homes  to  take  part  in  this  Roman 
Armageddon.  Excipit,  of  course,  refers  to  Pompey's 
flight  from  Rome  (238-244).  As  for  his  faith  in  the 
power  of  his  divine  allies  (which,  by  the  way,  did  not 
prove  of  much  assistance  in  the  end),  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  the  gods  seldom  revealed  themselves, 
even  to  their  favorites.  The  retreating  Pompey  was 
probably  entertaining  them  unawares. 

264.  See  Introd.,  p.  87  f.  Cf.  Ov.,  Met.,  IX,  273: 
sensit  Atlas  pondus  (so.  Hercidis).  Sen.,  Hipp.,  972-974  ; 
H.  F.,  73  f. ;  H.  0.,  11  f.,  257  f.,  1600,  1909  f.  Juv., 
XIII,  46-9.  (Ironical.  The  other  passages  are  meant 
seriously.)     Sil.  Ital.,  IX,  300  f. 


Commentary  219 

mutataque  sidera,  etc. :  Anton  would  have  this  = 
s'dera  terra  mutata,  citing  Hor.,  Carm.,  I,  17,  1  f.  and 
Carm.  Saec,  39  f.  But  it  is  better  explained  as  = 
mutatum  sidera  potidus  quaesivere. 

265.  quaesivere:  "missed."  Wernsdorff,  cf.  Maece- 
nas (in  A-pTp.  Verg.),  129: 

quaesivere  chori  iuvenum  sic  Hesperon  ilium. 
regia  caeli:  i.e.  the  gods  who  dwell  there. 

266.  in  partes  diducta:  cf.  Ch.  108,  7:  Tnjphaena, 
.  .  .  turbam  diducit  in  partes.  Lucan,  II,  35 :  divisere 
deos  means  that  the  women  left  behind  at  Rome  turned 
for  help,  some  to  one  god,  some  to  another. 

Dione:  properly  the  mother  of  Venus,  but  often, 
as  here,  Venus  herself.  {E.g.  Ov.,  Am.,  1,  14,  33 ; 
F.,  II,  461.) 

267.  acta:  as  this  word  properly  applies  to  deeds 
already  done,  a  number  of  commentators  have  rejected 
it  here,  and  proposed  such  emendations  as  arjtia  (Pas- 
serat),  astra  (CoUadonius) ,  alma  (Reiske).  Moessler, 
full  of  objections,  as  usual,  finds  that  the  gods  are  not 
leading,  but  merely  joining  the  movement  (as  shown 
by  diducta,  266),  and  reads  Dionen  .  .  .  acta  .  .  . 
ducunt.  Acta  then  looks  back  to  Discordia's  exhorta- 
tions, 290-292  (see  on  264-270).  Once  more,  however, 
the  difficulty  has  been  met  by  the  most  difficult  means. 
Vergil  uses  the  present  participle  of  past  time  {Aen.,  I, 
492)  and  the  past  participle  of  present  time  {Aen.,  I, 
481),  and  it  is  not  too  violent  a  stretch  to  allow  acta 
here  its  substantive  sense  alone  without  any  reference 
to  time. 


220    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

sui:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  1,  231  :  meus  Aeneas.  Caesar 
claimed  descent  from  Venus  tlirough  lulus  and  Aeneas. 
Her  head,  or  the  group  of  Aeneas,  Anchises,  and  lulus 
appears  on  his  coins.     Cf.  Dio,  XLIII,  43. 

comes  additur  illi:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  528,  777  (see 
on  268)  ;   IX,  649,  765.    Sil.  Ital,  XIII,  581. 

ducit:   cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  382  (of  Aeneas)  : 
matre  dea  monstrante  viam,  data  fata  secutus. 

268.  Pallas:  the  goddess  of  scientific  warfare, 
naturally  aids  Caesar,  the  greatest  of  Roman  generals. 
Her  presence  may  also,  as  Anton  suggests,  be  a  com- 
pUment  to  his  intellect  and  learning. 

Mavortius:    Romulus.     Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  777  f. : 

quin  et  avo  comitem  sese  Mavortius  addit 
Romulus. 

and  the  use  of  Saturnia,  Titania,  etc.  In  his  own 
person  he  represents  Rome,  shovving  that  Caesar  really 
has  the  right  side  of  the  quarrel.  As  his  father's  repre- 
sentative, he  stands  for  the  fury  of  war,  so  terribly 
embodied  in  Caesar's  veterans.  Caesar  has  thus  an 
irresistible  combination  of  forces  on  his  side.  With 
the  honor  that  is  here  paid  to  Caesar,  Moessler,  cf .  the 
title  of  Pater  Patriae,  afterwards  bestowed  on  him 
(Suet.,  ltd.,  76.    App.,  B.  C,  II,  106). 

Wernsdorff  would  have  Mavortius  =  Mars,  because 
of  Halieut.,  96 : 

nee  curru  nocturna  volat  Phoebea  nitente. 

and  Ruf.  Fest.  A\aen.,  Aratea,  127  f. : 


Commentary  221 

iinmenso  cum  iam  Titanius  orbe 
imbuerit  tremulo  Tartesia  terga  rubore. 
But  to  use  the  adjective  when  the  god  is  identified 
ynth  the  sun  or  moon  or  other  natural  body  (as  Divus 
in  the  phrase  sub  divo,  where  Jove  is  again  identified 
with  the  sky.  See  on  140)  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  using  it  when  he  appears  as  an  independent  per- 
sonahty. 

ingentem  .  .  .  hastam:  cf.  203.  Romulus  bears  one 
of  his  father's  attributes.     Cf.  Verg.,  Aeri.,  VI,  779  f. : 

viden  ut  geminae  stant  vertice  cristae 
et  pater  ipse  suo  superum  iam  signat  honore  ? 

269.  It  is  not  clear  why  Apollo  and  Diana  join  Pom- 
pey.  Apollo  especially,  the  patron  of  Augustus  (see 
on  115),  seems  out  of  place  as  a  Pompeian.  Anton 
attributes  his  favor  to  the  temple  which  Pompey  built 
him,  and  that  of  Diana  to  Pompey's  great  venationes 
(Cic,  ad  Fam.,  VII,  1,  3). 

Cyllenia  proles:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  IV,  258.  Hermes 
(Mercury),  the  son  of  Zeus  and  Maia,  was  born  on  Mt. 
Cyllene  in  Arcadia. 

270.  ezcvpit:  receives  him  as  he  withdraws  from 
Rome.     See  on  264-270. 

Tirynthius:  Hercules  (Heracles),  born  at  Tiryns  in 
the  Peloponnesus,  loved  far  wanderers  and  conquerors 
of  strange  peoples  (see  on  206).  From  the  Roman 
point  of  view  the  overthrow  of  Gauls,  Spaniards,  pirates 
and  rebellious  slaves  (Cic,  pro  Lege  Manil.,  XI,  30) 
would  rank  with  purging  the  earth  of  monsters.    Cf. 


222    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Plin.,  H.  N.,  VII,  27,  1 :  ad  deciis  imperii  Romani,  non 
solum  ad  viri  unius,  pertinet  victorias  Pompeii  Magni, 
titulos  omnes,  triumphosque  hoc  in  loco  nuncupari; 
aequato  non  modo  Alexandri  Magni  rerum  fulgore,  sed 
etiam  Hercxdis  prope  ac  Libert  patris. 

271.  With  what  follows  cf.  Sen.,  Med.,  13-15,  947- 
952;  H.  F.,  100-103,  982-985.  Octavia,  261  f.,  596, 
621,  725  f.,  917.  intremuere  tubae:  cf.  tremefacta,  135, 
and  note.  Lucan's  insonuere  tubae,  I,  578,  has  tempted 
some  editors  to  change  the  verb  here. 

scisso  .  .  .  crine:  stronger  than  crine  soluto,  252, 
Discordia  appears  in  the  guise  of  a  Fury.     See  below. 

Discordia:  cf.  Enn.,  Ann.,  VII  (see  Hor.,  Serm.,  I, 
4,  60)  :  Discordia  taetra;  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  280  f.  (see 
on  257) ;   VIII,  702  : 

et  scissa  gaudens  vadit  Discordia  palla. 

Also  Sen.,  de  Ira,  II,  35,  5. 

At  the  sound  of  the  trumpets  Discordia  appears, 
and  deUvers  to  the  embattled  nations  a  speech  (283- 
294)  which  may  be  compared  to  the  hortatio  which  a 
Roman  commander  addressed  to  his  troops  just  before 
joining  battle. 

272.  extulit  .  .  .  capxd:  cf.  76:  extulit  ora.  Con- 
trast Verg.,  Aen.,  I,  127  :  (Neptunus)  placidum  caput 
extulit,  and  Hor.,  Epod.,  II,  17  f. : 

vel  cum  decorum  mitibus  pomis  caput 
autumnus  agris  extulit. 

Verg.,  Ge.,  Ill  (see  on  254). 


Commentary  223 

mperos  Stygium :  cf .  170.  The  collocation  in  a  sen- 
tence of  the  two  words  most  sharply  contrasted,  or 
most  closely  aUied  in  meaning,  is  characteristic  of  Greek 
and  Latin.  It  lends  point  and  emphasis  in  a  manner 
impossible  to  imitate  in  an  uninfiected  language.  Cf. 
Eurip.,  Iph.  Taur.,  621  : 

avTT]  iL(})€L  Ovovcra  —  6rj\v<;  apatvas  ; 

With  the  following  description  of  Discordia  cf.  Ov., 
Met,  II,  775  ff.  {Invidia)  : 

paUor  in  ore  sedet,  macies  in  corpore  toto 
nusquam  recta  acies,  livent  rubigine  dentes, 
pectora  felle  virent,  lingua  est  suffusa  veneno. 
de  Salas,  cf.  Ael.  Arist.,  Or.  dc  Concord,  ad  Rhod.,  44 
(838  D),  of  Srao-ts. 

273.  contusaque  lumina  flebant:  cf.  Aesch.,  Choe., 
1058: 

Ko^  ofXfxaTdiv  (TTOL^ovfTav  ai/xa  Sua^tAe's. 

and  Eum.,  54. 

Such  creatures  are  often  represented  as  bearing  the 
marks  of  the  violence  they  wreak  upon  others.  Cf. 
Sen.,  de  Ira,  II,  35. 

274.  stabant:  for  this  picturesque  use  of  stare,  cf. 
Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  300  :  slant  lumina  flamma.  Ov.,  Met., 
VI,  304  f.:  lumina  maestis  \  slant  immola  genis.  Lucan, 
VI,  224  f.  :  stetit  imhre  cruento  \  informis  fades.  Stat., 
Silv.,  V,  4,  7  f. : 

septima  iam  rediens  Phoebe  mihi  respicit  aegras 
stare  genas. 


224    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

aerati  .  .  .  denies:  Statius,  in  the  Thebaid,  uses 
ferreus  and  ferratus  of  the  teeth  and  talons  of  Furies 
and  kindred  monsters. 

273.  concretus  sanguis:  cf.  Verg.,  Acn.,  II,  277:  con- 
cretos  sanguine  crines. 

274.  scabra  rubigine:  cf.  Verg.,  Ge.,  I,  495.  Ov., 
Met.,  VIII,  793  ;  F.,  I,  687 ;  Ex  Ponto,  I,  1,  71.  PUn., 
H.  N.,  XVI,  8,  2. 

275.  obsessa  draconibus  ora:  cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  VI, 
280  f.  (see  on  271). 

276.  atque :  marks  the  transition  from  the  description 
of  Discordia^s  appearance  to  the  narrative  of  her  acts. 

inter  .  .  .  vestevi:  a  very  difficult  expression,  wliich 
many  efforts  at  emendation  and  explanation  have  not 
greatly  helped.  Moessler  reads  intorto  inter:  "pectore 
inter  vestem  laceratam  vel  anhelitus  ducente  vel  aestuante." 
The  older  editors,  Wernsdorff,  Hadrianides,  Anton, 
wished  to  connect  inter  .  .  .  laceratam  .  .  .  vestem  with 
quatiebat  lampada,  wliich  makes  the  Une  absurd,  hiter 
laceratam  vestem  depends  on  torto  pectore,  which,  in  turn, 
depends  very  loosely  on  quatiebat.  "And,  her  breast 
convulsed  beneath  its  tattered  robe,  she  brandished," 
etc.  For  her  appearance  cf.  ApuL,  Alet.,  IX,  12  : 
homunculi  .  .  .  scissili  centunculo  magis  inumbrati 
quam  obtecti  .  .  .  sic  tunicati  ut  essent  per  pannulos 
manijesti.     For  the  significance  of  her  rags,  see  on  253. 

277.  sanguineum  .  .  .  lampada:  see  on  256.  Cf. 
Sen.,  H.  0.,  672  : 

sequitur  dira  lampade  Erinys. 

The  adjective  might  refer  to  the  color  of  the  flame,  as 


Commentary  225 

in  Verg.,  Aen.,  X,  272  f.  :  cometae  \  sanguinei  lugubre 
rubent.     But  Ov.,  Met.,  IV,  480  f.  : 

Tisiphone  madefactam  sanguine  sumit 
importuna,  facem. 

and  Stat.,  Theb.,  X,  854  f.  :  facibiisque  cruentis  |  Bellona 
show  that  it  probably  means  ''sprinkled  with  blood." 
See  on  259-260. 

278.  Cocytus,  the  River  of  Wailing,  was  one  of  the 
four  rivers  of  Hades  {Od.,  X,  513  f.).  Tartarus  was 
properly  the  place  of  punislunent,  guarded  by  Tisi- 
phone (Verg.,  Aen.,  VI,  555  f.),  but  here  the  Under- 
world in  general  is  meant. 

279.  See  Introd.,  p.  60. 

gradiens:    the  gait  of  Mars,  Gradivus. 

280.  posset:  purpose. 

281.  fiuitantes  .  .  .  catervas:  of.  213.  But  move- 
ment on  land  is  meant  here,  and  the  word  is  a  strange 
one  to  use.  The  nearest  approach  to  this  instance 
seems  to  be  Tac,  Hist.,  Ill,  27,  and  V,  18,  where  it 
means  "staggering,"  "wavering." 

282.  Cf.  Verg.,  Aen.,  II,  129 :  rumpit  vocem;  III, 
246  :  rumpitque  hanc  pedore  vocem.  Wernsdorff,  cf. 
TibuU.,  IV,  1,  86  :  dulces  erumpat  terra  liquor es. 

283.  gentes :  cf .  Florus,  IV,  2,3  f . :  Caesaris  furor 
et  Pompeii  urbem,  Italiam,  gentes,  nationes,  totum  qua 
patebat  imperium,  quodam  quasi  diluvio  et  injlamma- 
tione  corripuit,  adeo  ut  non  recte  tantum  civile  dicatur, 
ac  ne  sociale  quidem,  sed  nee  externum,  sed  potiiis  com- 
mune quoddam  ex  omnibus  et  plus  quam  bellum. 

Q 


226     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

accensis  mentibus.  Anton,  cf.  Sil.  Ital.,  IV,  169  f.  : 
atque  in  proelia  mentes  \  accendis.  Val.  Flacc,  IV, 
255  :   atque  incensa  mente  feruntur. 

285.  vincetur,  quicumque  latet:  cf.  the  saying  of  the 
Senatorial  party,  "He  that  is  not  for  us  is  against  us," 
—  reversed  by  Caesar,  —  and  their  hostihty  to  neutrals. 

non  femina  cesset :  probably  a  reference  to  Cornelia, 
the  wife  of  Pompey,  who  followed  her  husband  to  the 
war,  keeping  as  close  to  the  "front"  as  possible,  joined 
him  after  Pharsalus,  and  witnessed  his  murder  at  Pe- 
lusium  (see  on  63).  Cf.  also  Cic,  ad  Att.,  IX,  6,  3  :  de 
hac  re  litterae  L.  Metello  tr.  pi.  Capuam  adlatae  sunt  a 
Clodia  socru  quae  ipsa  transiit  {i.e.  crossed  to  Greece). 

286.  desolata:   see  Introd.,  p.  51. 

287.  The  struggle  becomes  a  convulsion  of  nature. 
For  the  hyperbole,  cf.  Cic,  Cat.,  II,  9,  20  :  tantus  enim 
illorum  temporum  dolor  inustus  est  civitati,  ut  iam  ista 
non  modo  homines,  sed  ne  pecudes  quidem  mihi  passurae 
esse  videantur. 

288-289.  In  these  lines  Petronius  mentions  two  of 
Caesar's  bitterest  enemies  and  one  of  his  stanchest  and 
ablest  friends.  C.  Claudius  Marcellus  and  L.  Cor- 
nelius Lentulus  Crus  were  consuls  for  the  year  49,  in 
which  the  civil  war  began,  and  did  much  to  precipi- 
tate it.  They  persistently  opposed  the  acceptance  of 
Caesar's  overtures,  and  favored  measures  against  him. 
They  also  secured  the  passage  of  the  ultimum  Senatus 
considtum,  which  recognized  the  existence  of  a  state  of 
war,  and  gave  the  consuls  almost  dictatorial  powers.  It 
was  this  decree  which  caused  the  tribunes  M.  Antonius 


Commentary  227 

and  Q.  Cassius  to  flee  for  protection  to  Caesar,  thus 
giving  him  a  legal  pretext  for  crossing  the  Rubicon. 
C.  Scribonius  Curio,  who  accompanied  the  tribunes  in 
their  flight,  was  a  brilliant  but  unscrupulous  man  who 
had  first  become  active  in  Caesar's  behaK  when  the 
latter  paid  his  enormous  debts.  For  this  reason  he  is 
generally  represented  as  a  mere  unprincipled  mercenary, 
but  his  death  in  Caesar's  service  raises  him  to  a  level 
which  few  of  his  opponents,  who  claimed  to  be  fighting 
for  their  country,  attained.  In  Africa,  whither  he  had 
been  sent  by  Caesar,  he  was  trapped  by  Juba  and  his 
lieutenant  Saburra,  and  a  large  part  of  his  army  de- 
stroyed. A  chance  of  escape  was  offered  him :  at 
Curio  numquam  se  amisso  exercitu  quern  a  Caesare  fidei 
commissum  acceperit  in  eius  conspedum  reversurum 
confirmat  aique  ita  proelians  interficitur  (Caes.,  B.  C,  II, 
42,  4).  Lucan,  in  spite  of  his  ungenerous /or^is  virtute 
coada  (IV,  798),  pays  him  a  high  tribute  (IV,  799- 
824). 

legem:  the  decree  depriving  Caesar  of  his  province 
and  his  army.  Petronius  is  identifying  the  two  Claudii 
Marcelli:  Gains,  mentioned  above,  and  Marcus,  consul 
51  B.C.,  the  author  of  this  bill.  They  were,  in  fact, 
much  alike  in  character  and  identical  in  politics. 

concute  plebem:  Curio  had  been  Tribune  of  the 
People  shortly  before  and  had  used  all  the  power  of  his 
eloquence  against  the  Senatorial  oligarchy.  Cf.  Lucan, 
I,  269  :   venali  .  .  .  Curio  lingua. 

tu  .  .  .  Martem:  an  unnecessary  exhortation.  Len- 
tulus  was  even  more  eager  for  war  than  his  colleague. 


228     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Cf.  Plut.,  Caes.,  30  :  AevrXov  tov  viraTOv  /^ouvTos  ottXcdv 
Setv  TT/Jos  avSpa  XyaTTjv,  ov  xprji^iiiv.      Caes.,  B.  C,  I,  4. 

290.  Dive:  Scaliger  wished  to  read  Die,  "god-de- 
scended" (cf.  Enn.,  Ann.,  I,  55:  Ilia  dia),  because 
Caesar  was  still  alive.  But  Discordia  may  be  sup- 
posed to  possess  knowledge  of  what  was  to  come,  or 
the  title  may  be  purely  conventional,  merely  represent- 
ing Caesar's  greatness.  It  must  be  remembered,  too, 
that  when  once  we  have  placed  a  halo  on  the  brow  of  a 
dead  hero,  it  becomes  hard  for  us  to  realize  that  his 
contemporaries  saw  him  without  it. 

tuis  .  .  .  armis:  the  arms  which  you  already  wear 
and  know  so  well  how  to  use. 

291.  With  the  spirit  of  this  line  cf.  Lucan,  II,  439- 
446. 

Caesar  in  arma  furens  nuUas  nisi  sanguine  fuso 
gaudet  habere  vias,  quod  non  terat  hoste  vacantis 
Hesperiae  fines  vacuosque  irrumpat  in  agros, 
atque  ipsum  non  perdat  iter  consertaque  beUis 
bella  gerat.     non  tam  portas  intrare  patentis 
quam  fregisse  iuvat :   nee  tam  patiente  colono 
arva  premi  quam  si  ferro  populatur  et  igne. 
concessa  pudet  ire  via  civemque  videri. 

In  reality  the  Italian  towns  opened  their  gates  to  Caescr 
willingly,  or  surrendered  after  a  mere  show  of  resistance. 
Rome  —  Roma  cajrifacilis  (Lucan,  II,  656)  —  was  quite 
untenable. 

frangis  portas:  Hadrianides  refers  this  to  Caesar's 
forcible   entrance   into   the   Roman   treasury,   but   as 


Commentary  229 

thesaurosgite  rapis,  292,  clearly  means  that,  this  must 
contain  the  same  idea  as  the  rest  of  the  line:  "will 
you  not  be  storming  towns?" 

7m(ris  oppida  solvis:  a  strange  turn  of  expression, 
which  represents  the  walls  as  bonds  to  be  loosed. 

292.  thesaurosque  rapis:  Caesar,  on  his  arrival  in 
Rome,  demanded  the  treasure  contained  in  the  Aera- 
rium  (the  Temple  of  Saturn),  and  when  it  was  refused 
him,  took  it  by  force.  Cf.  Plut.,  Caes.,  35.  Florus,  IV, 
2,21.  Dio,  XLI,  17.  App.,  £.  C,  II,  41  :  twv  re  di/^ai-o-- 
Tojv  CKtVet  y^p-qfJiO-TiDV  a  (pauLV  liri  KtXrots  TraXai  trvv  apii. 
SrjixoaLa  TtOrjvaL,  [xt]  (raXevetv  es  fxr]8ev,  el  fiyj  KeArtKos  ttoAc- 
/Lios  i-TTioL.  6  8e  €cf)rj,  KeXrous  airos  es  to  a.cr(f>aX(.aTarov 
cXcuv,  XeXuKcj/at  t^  TroXet  Tr)v  apav. 

nescis  .  .  .  tueri:  Pompey  felt  compelled  to  evacuate 
Italy  in  order  to  gain  time  to  organize  and  drill  an  army 
before  he  encountered  Caesar,  but  the  appearance  of 
flight  inevitably  had  a  bad  moral  effect,  and  called  down 
bitter  reproaches  from  many  of  his  partisans.  Cf.  Cic, 
ad  AIL,  VII,  11,  3-4 ;   VIII,  2,  2-3. 

293.  Romanas  arces:  cf.  107.  But  as  Rome  was  no 
longer  a  fortified  city,  her  defense  would  have  meant 
the  successful  occupation  of  central  Italy. 

Epidanini  moenia:  Epidamnus  was  the  Greek  name 
of  Dyrrhachium,  in  Epirus,  where  Pompey  now  es- 
tablished his  base.  It  was  said  that  the  name  had 
been  changed  because,  to  Roman  cars,  it  had  an  ill- 
omened  sound  (Plin.,  //.  N.,  Ill,  23),  and  its  use  here, 
as  Stephanus  pointed  out,  gives  a  touch  of  irony  to  Dis- 
cordia's  advice.     Cf.  Plaut.,  Men.,  II,  1,  38  f. : 


230    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

propterea  huic  urbei  nomen  Epidamno  inditumst 
quia  nemo  fere  hue  sine  damno  devortitur. 

The  ancients  were  prone  to  see  special  significance  in 
names,  especially  after  the  event : 

conveniunt  rebus  nomina  saepe  suis. 

294.  sinus:  TrrvxaL 

Romano  sanguine  tingue:  cf.  160.  Romano  is  the 
emendation  of  Cornelissen.  Humono  lacks  point: 
Thessaly  had  seen  its  share  of  blood  from  the  days  of 
the  mares  of  Diomed  on,  and  Romano  brings  the  line 
closer  to  its  model,  Lucan,  VII,  473  (see  p.  84).  For  the 
repetition  Romanas  .  .  .  Romano,  see  Introd.,  p.  47. 

295.  Heinsius  and  Moessler  reject  this  line.  The 
latter  holds  that  it  is  inconsistent  ynih.  the  plan  of  the 
poem  because  it  treats  Discordia's  exhortations  as  real 
when  they  are  only  a  means  of  telling  what  was  to 
happen,  and  puts  her  among  the  causes  of  the  war. 
On  these  points  see  Introd.,  p.  64  ff.  The  conmient 
of  Anton  is  more  favorable:  "equidem  putem  hoc 
carmen  non  meliorem  exitum  posse  habere;  indicari  enim 
debebat  quid  factum  esset:  idque  poeta  paucis  expressit, 
quia  historicus  nolebat  videri. 


TRANSLATION 

1-16 

Lord  was  the  Roman  now  of  all  the  earth 
Where  there  was  sea,  or  land,  or  the  day-star 
At  morn  or  even  shone  ;   yet,  lord  of  all. 
He  was  not  sated  :   still  the  laden  keels 
Crossed  and  reerossed  the  seas  with  pulsing  oars. 
If  secret  port  remote  or  lonely  shore 
Might  yield  the  ruddy  gold,  'twas  held  a  foe. 
Thus,  wliile  the  Fates  unholy  strife  prepared, 
Were  treasures  sought.     Delights  well  known  to 

all. 
Pleasures  by  coarse  plebeian  touch  defiled. 
Could  charm  no  more.     The  soldier  o'er  the  sea. 
Turned  connoisseur,  old  Corinth's  bronzes  prized  ; 
Earth's  hidden  sheen  with  Tyrian  purple  vied. 
Here  the  Numidians  curse  them  ;    there  Cathay 
Her  fairy  fleece  surrenders,  and  the  folk 
Of  Araby  despoil  their  fragrant  land. 

Behold  another  woe,  another  wound 
To  outraged  peace  :     gold    spreads    the    hunter's 

snare ; 
Remotest  Afric  Hammon  is  explored 
For  beasts  of  murderous  fang.     Across  the  seas, 
231 


232    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

17-36 
Measuring  with  sullen  stride  his  gilded  cage, 
Stark  famine  in  his  wake,  the  tiger  sails, 
That  for  man's  sport  man's  blood  may  drench 

his  jaws. 
Oh,  shame  to  point  the  signs  of  coming  doom 
In  hideous  deeds  foreshadowed  !     Persia's  crime 
Is  reenacted  :   'neath  the  mangling  knife 
The  man-child's  promise  dies  (foul  sacrifice  !) 
And  flitting  youth,  arrested,  disappoints 
The  hurrying  years,  that  nature's  copy's  lost. 
Yet  everywhere  the  wretched  victims  please. 
Frail-limbed,  with  mincing  gait  and  flowing  locks 
And  silken  robes  of  ever-changing  name, 
Snares    for    the    wanton !    Dragged    from    Afric 

wastes 
Behold  the  citrus,  ringed  and  streaked,  to  tempt 
The  meaner  gold.     Its  burnished  face  reflects 
The  herd  of  slaves,  and  Tyrian  robes :    the  pride 
And  ruin  of  their  lords.     The  mifruitful  wood 
Ignobly  prized,  a  sodden  band  surrounds, 
While  wandering  soldiers  with  dishonored  arms 
Heap  up  for  them  the  riches  of  a  world. 

The  brain  must  serve  the  palate  :  the  great  fish, 
Pride  of  Sicilian  waters,  to  their  board 
Is  borne  alive,  still  rocked  in  its  own  sea. 
Oysters  from  Lucrine  shores  commend  the  feast 
And  tempt  the  jaded  appetite,  wdth  proof 


Translation  233 

36-54 

Of  squandered  gold.     Now  storied  Phasis'  wave 
Mourns  for  her  ravished  birds  :  her  voiceless  shore 
Hears  but  the  lone  wind  whispering  to  the  leaves. 

Nor  less  the  madness  where  the  Field  of  Mars 
Records  the  votes  :  the  purchased  freemen  throng 
By  gleam  of  plunder  led  and  ring  of  coin 
To  make  their  choice.     The  People  stands  for 

sale, 
The  Fathers  too  :  advancement  knows  its  price. 
Yea,  the  proud  spirit  of  freedom,  once  the  boast 
Of  the  unbending  Senate,  was  no  more ; 
But  law  to  scattered  largesse  was  enthralled; 
And  the  divinity  of  glorious  Rome 
By  golden  venom  tainted,  lay  in  dust. 
Spurned  by  the  hooting  mob,  see  Cato  pass 
Rejected  :  but  the  victor  sadder  stands, 
Ashamed  of  power  torn  by  force  and  fraud 
From  Cato,  for  —  oh,  shame  and  honor's  death  ! 
'Tis  not  alone  a  man  repulsed  ;   with  him, 
With  that  one  Roman,  Rome's  dominion  dies. 
Her  glory  fades.     Then  for  this  wretched  Rome  — 
Herself  the  price,  herself  the  prize,  self-bought 
And  sold  —  who  shall  arise  to  break  her  chains  ? 

The  commons  too,  as  caught  'twixt  rising  tides. 
Usury  and  debt  have  eaten  to  the  bone  : 
No  house  its  master's  own,  no  head  unpledged. 
But  as  it  were  a  wasting  sickness  grows 


234    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

54-71 
Within  the  body-poHtic,  deep-hid, 
Which  through  the  vitals  tears  its  wolfish  way 
With  maddening  pangs  and  leaves  no  limb  un- 
harmed. 
The    wretches    dream    of    arms,    their    fortunes 

breached 
By  luxury's  waste,  by  wounds  must  be  repaired. 
For  beggary  fears  no  loss.     Sunk  in  this  slough. 
Unconscious  Rome  !    what  skill  could  break  thy 

sleep 
With  healing  art ;   save  by  war's  trumpet-blast. 
And  furious  blood-lust,  roused  by  touch  of  steel? 
Three   chiefs   did   Fortune   bear,   whose   lofty 
heads 
In  battle-storm  the  baleful  war-fiend  whelmed 
By  divers  shocks.     Crassus  wild  Parthia  holds, 
Great  Pompey  sleeps  alone  on  Egypt's  sands, 
And  thankless  Rome  with  Caesar's  blood  is  red. 
Thus,  as  if  earth  possessed  not  strength  to  bear 
So  many  awful  tombs,  their  ashes  lie 
Sundered.     Behold  the  guerdon  Glory  pays! 

There  is  a  place  where  yawns  a  chasm  deep, 
'Twixt  Naples  and  old  Cumae,  Stygian  waves 
Eddy  below,  for  the  foul  vapor's  breath 
Which    rushes    thence,    with    noxious    power    is 

fraught. 
No  harvest  ripens  there,  no  waving  grass 


Translation  235 

72-91 

Gladdens  the  fields,  nor  does  the  tuneful  sprmg 
Babble  through  swaying  boughs  with  discord  sweet 
From    feathered    throats :     black    Chaos    reigns 

supreme 
'Mid  scorched  volcanic  rocks,  above  whose  heaps 
The    mournful    cjT^ress    leans.     'Twas    in    these 

haunts 
Black  from  the  funeral  flame,  his  hair  and  beard 
With  dead  men's  ashes  white,  Lord  Pluto  reared 
His  awful  head  and  fickle  Fortune  called  : 

"Power  that  sway'st  the  lots  of  gods  and  men, 
Almighty  Chance,  sworn  foe  of  stable  power. 
Thou  who  dost  woo  what's  strange  and  spurn 

what's  won, 
Wilt  o-wTi  thyself  by  Roman  might  o'ermatched  ? 
Canst  thou  not  raise  the  unwieldy  bulk  to  heights 
Whence    it   must    fall?     Her    brood    forgets    its 

strength, 
It  scarce  can  bear  what  it  hath  seized.     Behold 
The  orgy  of  the  plunderer  !    wealth  run  mad 
To  its  own  ruin.     Golden  palaces 
Mount  to  the  stars  :    their  seas  are  choked  with 

stone. 
Their  fields  are  turned  to  sea  :  they  change  the  face 
Of  nature,  thankless  rebels  !     E'en  my  realms 
Are   threatened  :     earth   is  pierced   with  gaping 

wounds ; 


236    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

91-110 

Her  rocky  masses  melt ;   the  solid  hills 
Are  empty  shells,  the  mid-world  caverns  ring  ; 
And  while  the  useless  marble  decks  their  pride, 
My  slaves,  the  bloodless  shades,  grown  bold,  con- 
fess 
They  hope  once  more  to  greet  the  light  of  heaven  ! 
Then  rouse  thee,  Fortune,  bend  thy  brows  for  war : 
Too  long  thou'st  sleeked  them  :    hark  these  Ro- 
mans on 
And  give  my  realm  its  hecatombs  of  dead. 
No  blood  hath  cooled  my  cheek,  Tisiphone, 
My  handmaid,  hath  not  laved  her  parching  limbs, 
Since  Sulla's  sword  drank  deep  and  shuddering 

earth 
Brought  forth  a  harvest  rank  with  blood  of  men." 
Thus  spake  the  god  and  strove  to  clasp  her  hand 
In  token  of  the  bond,  but  as  he  stirred 
Earth  yawned  afresh.     Then  fickle  Fortune  cried  : 
"Father,  whose  rule  the  realms  of  woe  obey  — 
If  to  speak  truth  unchidden  be  my  right  — 
Hear  !  thou  shalt  have  thy  wish  :  my  bosom  burns 
With  anger  hot  as  thine.     All,  all  my  gifts 
To  Rome's  embattled  hills  I  hate  :    my  wrath 
Consumes  my  bounty.     Let  the  self-same  god 
Who  gave  her  power  destroy  it,  for  my  heart 
Craves  holocausts !     Their  blood  shall  slake  their 
lust. 


Translation  237 

111-132 

I  see  Philippi  burdened  with  the  load 

Of  death  redoubled  :   haunted  Thessaly 

Burns  thick  with  pyres  :    Iberia  mourns  her  dead. 

Now  clang  of  arms  rings  thrilling  on  my  ears : 

Your  woful  camps,  Egyptian  Nile,  I  see 

And  Actium's  waters,  and  the  faces  pale 

Of  men  who  blench  before  Apollo's  darts. 

Go,  Pluto,  fling  thy  greedy  portals  wide 

And  thronging  souls  invite  ;   thy  Ferryman 

Shall  faint  before  his  bark  hath  borne  across 

The  warrior  shades  :   the  task  demands  a  fleet. 

And  thou,  Tisiphone,  pale  fiend,  thy  draught 

Be  ruin,  ghastly  wounds  thy  meat,  for  down 

To  Styx  and  thee  the  mangled  world  descends." 

Scarce  had  she  ended  when  the  quivering  clouds 
Shot  forth  the  bolt  that  rent  them  and  was  gone. 
The  King  of  Shadows  sank  from  sight,  and  drew 
Earth's  mantle  close,  fearing  his  brother's  fires. 
Straightway  the  doom  of  men  and  woes  to  come 
By  signs  divine  were  blazoned  :   the  bright  sun, 
With  bloody  orb  unsightly,  veiled  his  face 
In  dark  eclipse,  as  though  even  then  he  gazed 
On  fratricidal  strife.     0'  the  other  side 
His  sister  quenched  her  lamp  at  full  and  snatched 
Its  light  from  deeds  of  darkness.    Mountain  crests. 
Torn  from  their  roots,  rolled  thundering  down  the 
vale. 


238    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

132-148 

No  more  the  wandering  rivers  brimming  flowed 
Between  familiar  banks,  but  dying  crept, 
Shrunk  to  the  channel's  bottom.     In  the  sky- 
Was  clang  of  steel,  and  shrilling  from  the  stars 
A  trumpet  pealed  to  arms.     Now  Aetna  burns 
With  fires  beyond  her  wont,  which  to  the  clouds 
Dart  lightnings.     Lo,  mid  tombs  and  bones  denied 
The  rites  of  pyre  and  urn  strange  phantoms  flit 
With  gibbering  menace.     Ringed  with  stars  un- 
known 
A  comet  fills  with  fire  the  vault  of  heaven; 
And  Jove  in  place  of  rain  sends  showers  of  blood. 
Such  warnings  in  brief  space  the  god  vouchsafed, 
Then  ceased.     But  Caesar,  ending  all  delay. 
And  urged  by  love  of  vengeance,  sheathed  the 

sword 
That  smote  the  Gaul,  but  brandished  in  its  place 
A  keener,  dedicate  to  civil  strife. 

Upon  the  wind-swept  Alps  where  crags  which 
once 
The  Grecian  hero  trod  stoop  down  and  yield 
Access  to  foot  of  man,  there  is  a  place 
Which  Hercules'  great  altar  sanctifies. 
Here  winter  builds  his  barrier  of  snows 
Unmelting  and  a  glittering  dome  to  heaven 
Uprears,  as  though  the  sky  had  stooped  to  rest 
His  burden  there.     Not  e'en  the  blazing  sun 


Translation  239 

149-167 

With    all    his    rays,    nor    quickening   breath    of 

Spring 
Can  tame  the  icy  challenge  of  the  pile, 
Buttressed  with  cold  and  bound  with  chains  of 

frost 
Whose  towering  shoulders  might  uphold  a  world. 

When  Caesar  with  his  eager  legions  trod 
This  aw^ul  spot,  his  camping-ground  assigned, 
Down  from  the  height  he  gazed  where,  at  his 

feet, 
Lay  Italy  unrolled  :    then  eyes  and  hands 
Lifted  to  heaven  and  prayed  :    "Almighty  Jove, 
And  thou,  old  Saturn's  land,  glad  in  my  deeds. 
And  with  my  laurels  crowned  :    unwillingly  — 
I  swear  it  —  have  I  summoned  Mars  to  judge 
'Twixt  thee  and  me  :    unwillingly  my  hands 
Are  armed,  but  wrongs  compel :   My  city's  gates 
Are  closed  against  me,  even  while  the  Rhine 
Runs  red  with  foemen's  blood,  and  Alpine  gates 
Are  barred  against  fierce   Gauls,  who   pant  once 

more 
To  scale  our  sacred  Capitol.     My  crime 
Is  victory  !     For  three-score  glorious  fields 
And  bleeding  Germany  exiled.     Yet  who 
Sees  treason  in  my  glory  ?     Hirelings  all. 
Corruption's  journeymen,  no  true-born  sons 
Of  Rome,  my  Mother.     But  not  easily, 


240    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Peteonius 

167-188 

Methinks,  nor  unavenged,  shall  cravens  bind 
This  sword-hand.     On,  fierce  conquerors :    com- 
rades, on  ! 
'Tis  steel  shall  plead  our  cause.     One  common 

charge, 
One  doom  awaits  us  all,  but  I  will  pay 
To  all  my  debt :  I  have  not  fought  alone. 
Then,  since  the  headsman  by  the  trophy  waits, 
Since  victory  hath  won  the  prisoner's  weeds, 
Let  Fortune  rule  the  lots.     Take  up  this  war : 
Your  swords  again !     My  case  is  won,  I  know. 
Armed  amid  my  braves  I  cannot  fail." 

He  spoke,  and  from  the  sky  Apollo's  bird 
Wheeling,  a  joyful  omen,  clove  the  air. 
Then  on  the  left  hand  from  an  ancient  grove 
Of  awful  sanctity,  a  wondrous  voice 
'Mid  crackling  flames  rang  out :   the  sun  himself, 
Bright  with  unwonted  splendor,  round  his  orb 
Dilated,  cast  a  fringe  of  golden  beams. 
Emboldened  by  these  portents,  Caesar  bade 
His  warlike  standards  follow,  and  himself, 
Striding  ahead,  the  daring  march  began. 
At  first  the  ice  and  frost-bound  soil,  held  firm, 
Scarce  whispered   'neath  their  tread,  but  when 

the  weight 
Of  squadrons  burst  the  icy  bonds,  and  steeds, 
Plunging  in  terror,  clove  the  river's  mail. 


Translation  241 

189-208 

The   snows   dissolved.     Soon   torrents   from   the 

heights, 
New  gathering,  rushed,  but  these  —  as  by  com- 
mand— 
Stood  still,  transformed  to  ice  even  as  they  fell ; 
And  what  a  moment  since  had  freely  flowed 
Now  barred  their  path  till  hacked  away :    but 

then  — 
Treacherous  before  —  it  mocked   the   struggling 

foot 
And  hold  denied  :  while  men  and  steeds  at  once 
Fell  heaped  'mid  scattered  arms  to  rise  no  more. 
The  clouds  as  well,  by  icy  blasts  convulsed, 
Poured  down  their  burden,  nor  were  whirlwinds 

still. 
Nor  buffeting  of  hail  from  shattered  skies. 
The  very  heavens  seemed  heaped  upon  their  arms. 
And  with  the  billow's  might  the  sleet  rushed  down. 
The  earth  was  conquered  by  the  drifted  snow, 
Conquered   the   stars   of  heaven,   the   ice-bound 

streams; 
Unconquered  still  was  Caesar :    his  great  spear 
His  staff,  with  stride  unbroken  he  traversed 
The  bristling  ice-fields,  like  huge  Hercules 
From  Caucasus  returning,  or  fierce  Jove 
When  from  Olympus'  brow  in  wrath  he  sprang 
And  dashed  the  armed  giants  to  their  doom. 


242    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

209-229 

While  sink  the  heights  'neath  Caesar's  angry 

tread, 
With  rush  of  startled  wings  swift  Rumor  seeks 
The  topmost  ridge  of  Palatine,  and  thence 
Thunders  to  Rome  her  warning :    Caesar's  fleets 
Cover  the  sea,  the  Alpine  passes  belch 
Invaders  reeking  still  with  German  blood. 
Then  sword  and  fire  and  direst  shapes  of  war 
Swim  red  before  men's  eyes.     Their  hearts  are 

torn 
In  twain  by  terror :   one  by  land  would  flee, 
Another  o'er  the  wave ;   the  sea  to  him 
Safer  than  home.     A  bolder  here  and  there 
Exhorts  to  arms,  since  war  is  Fate's  decree. 
Fear,  flight,  and  breathless  speed  !    The  craven 

throng. 
As  goading  fear  may  drive  —  disgraceful  sight!  — 
Desert   their   city.     Rome   streams   through  her 

gates 
As  flight  were  pastime,  and  her  citizens 
Conquered  without  a  blow,  their  hearths  forsake. 
One  clasps  his  children  in  his  trembling  arms 
Another  in  his  mantle  wraps  the  gods 
Of  home,  then  bids  that  home  a  last  farewell. 
And  smites  the  foe  —  still  distant  —  with  a  curse. 
Men  press  their  wives  to  bosoms  racked  with 

grief ; 


Translation  243 

230-251 

Youths,  uninured  to  toil,  their  aged  sires, 
The  source  of  all  their  cares,  bear  with  them  ;  one 
Unskilled  in  camps,  drags  all  his  treasure  forth, 
And  to  the  war  brings  spoil  —  to  glut  his  foes. 

As  when  upon  the  deep  the  storm-winds  rage 
And  lash  the  waves  ;  nor  tackle,  spar,  nor  helm 
Obeys  the  seaman's  hand :   one  furls  his  sails 
And  runs  before  the  storm,  another  seeks 
The  tranquil  harbor  and  the  sheltered  shore ; 
Another  crowds  his  canvas  and  leaves  all 
To  Fortune  —     But  why  rail  at  trifles  ?     Lo  ! 
Where  with  the  Consuls  Pompey  flees — the  Great ! 
Whom  Pontus  feared,  who  trod  Hydaspes'  strand, 
The  shoal  where  pirates  shattered,  at  whose  car 
Thrice  driven  in  triumph,  Jove  himself  grew  pale. 
The  sea  had  worshiped  him  with  humbled  waves, 
The  flowing  Bosporus  cringed,  and  now,  for  shame  ! 
Duty  and  name  and  fame  forgot  he  flees, 
And  Fortune  looks  on  Pompey's  back  at  last. 

The  avalanche  of  terror  seized  in  turn 
The  gods  themselves,  the  trembling  heavens  con- 
fessed 
Its  might.     Lo,  from  the  earth  the  kindly  powers, 
Loathing  its  madness,  pass  with  downcast  looks 
And  leave  mankind  to  perish  in  their  sins. 
Peace  first  of  all,  bruising  her  snowy  arms. 
Covers  her  vanquished  head  and  seeks  the  realm 


244    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

251-272 

Of  ruthless  Dis,  a  fugitive.     Meek  Faith 
Attends  her,  Justice  with  dishevelled  locks 
And  Concord  robed  in  woe.     But  where  the  gates 
Of  Darkness  yawn,  stream  forth  the  hordes  of  Dis  : 
The  Fury  serpent-wreathed,  Bellona  fierce, 
Megaera  armed  with  firebands,  Treachery, 
Destruction,  and  the  livid  shape  of  Death. 
Among  them  Frenzy,  bursting  from  her  bonds 
Raises  her  gory  head  :   her  features  scarred 
With  countless  wounds  a  blood-stained  casque  o'er- 

shades. 
On  her  left  arm  she  wears  the  war-god's  shield. 
Battered  and  thick  with  darts  :    her  right  hand 

wields 
A  blazing  torch  to  wrap  the  world  in  flames. 
Earth  feels  the  unwonted  load  and  skies  the 

lack 
Of  gods,  for  all  the  host  of  heaven  divide 
And  seek  the  opposing  factions.     First  of  all 
To  Caesar  bends  the  Mother  of  his  race, 
Venus,  bright  star  of  victory  :   Pallas  next, 
And  Mars'  great  son  shaking  his  father's  spear. 
But  Phoebus  with  his  sister  and  the  child 
Of  Maia  welcomes  Pompey,  and  his  peer 
In  wanderings  and  in  deeds,  great  Hercules. 

The  trumpets  pealed,  and  Discord  to  the  sky 
Lifted  her  Stygian  head  and  tresses  torn. 


Translation  245 

252-295 

Upon  her  face  was  clotted  blood ;    her  eyes, 
Livid  ^vith  bruises,  streamed  ;   her  iron  fangs 
Stood  thick  with  scales  of  rust ;   her  lolling  tongue 
Distilled  corruption,  serpents  framed  her  face ; 
And  as  her  bosom  'neath  its  tattered  robe 
Heaved  frantic,  with  her  quivering  hand  she  shook 
A  torch  with  blood-fed  flame.     When  she  had  left 
Cocytus  and  black  Tartarus,  she  climbed 
With  eager  stride  the  glorious  Apennine, 
Whence  from  the  heights  she  could  all  lands  behold, 
All  shores  and  all  the  armies  of  the  world, 
And  from  her  furious  heart  these  words  she  flung  : 

"Nations,  to  arms!    let  wrath  your  minds  in- 
flame : 
To  arms,  and  'mid  your  cities  cast  the  torch. 
Who  seeks  escape,  is  doomed  ;   nor  wife  nor  child 
Nor  helpless  age  shall  respite  find  ;   the  earth 
Herself  shall  shake,  the  shattered  roof-tree  smite  ! 
Marcellus,  guard  thy  law  :   bold  Curio, 
Stir  up  rebellion  :   strive  not,  Lentulus, 
To  stem  the  tide.     Great  Caesar,  sword  in  hand, 
Dost  hesitate  ?    Wilt  thou  not  break  the  gates 
And  loose  the  cities'  girding  walls  and  snatch 
Their  treasures  ?     Pompey,  canst  thou  not  defend 
Embattled  Rome?     Retire  to  conquered  Greece, 
And  dye  Thessalian  shores  with  Roman  blood." 

Thus  Discord,  and  her  orders  were  obeyed. 


CRITICAL  NOTES 

Note  on  the  Mss. 

There  are  twenty-one  Mss.  which  preserve  the  frag- 
ments of  the  Satirae  of  Petronius  in  more  or  less  com- 
plete form.  Fifteen  of  these  contain  the  Bellum  Civile, 
which,  with  a  few  other  passages,  has  been  reproduced 
oftener  than  any  other  part  of  the  work.  These  Mss. 
are : 

Traguriensis.     Ms.    in    the    BibliothSque    Nationale, 
Paris.     About  fifteenth  century. 

a.  Ms.  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris.     About 
eleventh  century. 

b.  Ms.  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris.     About 

fourteenth  century. 
Leidensis.^    Ms.  in  the  University  Library,  Leyden. 
Vb.     Ms.  in  the  University  Library,  Leyden. 
Sc.  (Codex  Scaligeri).     Ms.  in  the  University  Library. 

Leyden. 
M.^     Ms.  in  the  Royal  Library,  Munich. 
VL     Ms.  in  the  Imperial  Library,  Vienna.     Fifteenth 

century. 
V2.     Ms.  in  the  Imperial  Library,  Vienna.     First  half 

of  sixteenth  century. 

1  Bellum  Civile  only. 
246 


Critical  Notes  247 

Dr.i  Ms.  in  the  Royal  Library,  Dresden.  Fifteenth 
century. 

Br.  Ms.  in  the  Public  Library,  Berne.  Tenth  cen- 
tury. 

Fl.  Ms.  in  the  Laurentian  Library,  Florence.  First 
half  of  fifteenth  century. 

F2.  Ms.  in  the  Laurentian  Library,  Florence.  Second 
half  of  fifteenth  century. 

Vat.  Ms.  in  the  Vatican  Library,  Rome.  First  half 
of  fifteenth  century. 

Mess.  Ms.  in  the  Benedictine  Convent,  Messina, 
twelfth  century. 

These  Mss.,  with  the  exception  of  the  three  which 
contain  the  Bellum  Civile  only,  and  Trag.  constitute 
the  class  sometimes  called  Vulgaria  or  Vulgala  Ex- 
cerpta.  Trag.,  except  in  its  first  part  (containing  the 
Cena  Trimalchionis,  Chs.  26-78),  coincides  with  these,  and 
is  included  with  them  in  the  references  below.  A  full 
account  and  collation  of  all  the  Mss.  of  Petronius  are 
to  be  found  in  Beck,  "The  Manuscripts  of  the  Sa- 
tyricon  of  Petronius  Arbiter"  Cambridge  (Mass.),  1863, 
on  which  these  notes  are  mainly  based. 

The  readings  here  given  are  a  selection  of  the  most 
important  variants.  Mere  differences  of  spelling  have 
not  been  included  (e.g.  sydus  2,  fulfum  5,  treita  8). 
When  a  reading  is  found  in  all  the  Mss.,  no  reference  is 
given.  A  reading  which  appears  in  a  majority  of  the 
Vulgata  Excerpta,  and  is  the  only  one  of  importance 
in  that   group,   is   marked   0    (following   the   system 

*  Bellum  Civile  only. 


248     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

of  Buecheler).  After  the  Mss.  readings  are  given 
those  of  the  oldest  editors  and  commentators,  and 
after  these  such  later  emendations  as  may  appear  im- 
portant. 

Ch.  118. 

1.  decipit  VI. 

quisqids  Mess. 
teneriore  Br. 
se  subito  b. 

2.  feliciorern  Mess,    faciliorem,  the  others. 
vibrantibus  a.  B.^    The  rest  umbrantibus. 

3.  vanitatem  B.     Mess.     The  rest  sanitatem. 
concipere  B.  conspici  0. 

fulmine  Br. 

4.  summotae.     Buecheler  semotae. 

5.  curani  dum.     Trag.  Vb.  VI.  V2.  Fl.  omit  corpus, 
orationis  Sc.  B.  Mess.     The  rest  rationis. 
vestibus  B.     Br. 

"fortasse  testis  est  et"  Buecheler. 
enim  a.  b.  Sc.  B.  Br.    The  rest  autem. 
versum.    visam  N.  Faber. 

6.  sub  honor e  b. 
misteria  Vb. 

animi  b.  B.  Br.  Mess.  Sc.    The  rest  omit. 
placeret  Vb.  placeat  b.  VI.  F2.  Vat. 
accipiat  B. 


*  Ms.  of  Jacob  Bidermann,  Royal  Library,  Munich.     Does 
not  contain  the  Bellum  Civile. 


Critical  Notes  249 

Ch.  119. 

3.  prcssa  Trag. 
Graiis,  Rubenius. 

4.  peragrabantur  M.   Dr.  de  Tournes.     perarabantur 

Delbenius. 

5.  fulvum  quae  Sc. 

8.  risu  Sc.  (in  the  margin  usu). 
tracta  Sc.  (in  the  margin  trita). 

9.  Spolia  Turn  Semius  M.  Spolia  cum  se'rius  Dr. 

aes  pireum  cum  Trag.  aes  epyre  cum  Br.  aes 
Ephyrae  reguvi  Pithoeus.  aes  Ephyreiacum 
Heinsius.  Assyria  concham  de  Tournes.  Hes- 
perium  coccum  Saumaise.  Assyriae  bacam  pro- 
posed by  Reiske.  m  ora  proposed  by  Stephanus. 
in  Inda  proposed  by  Dousa.  in  umbra  proposed 
by  Heinsius. 
11.  accusant  Sc.  (in  the  margin  crustas).  accusatius  0. 
accurant  Delbenius.  adtulerant  de  Guerle. 
acculant  Heinsius.  citros  or  Gallos  Reiske. 
silices  Stephanus.  lapides  Pahner.  b.  has 
lacuna  in  place  of  Numidae  .  .  .  Seres. 

13.  elisae  Leid. 

14.  an  reo  Trag.  (in  the  margin  leo).     circo  Stephanus. 

caveae  fera  CoUadonius.  fera  nunc  leo  pro- 
posed by  Brassicanus.  Euri  Heinsius.  Mauri 
Burmann.  Mauris  Hadrianides.  Mauro  An- 
ton. 

1 5.  danti  Moessler. 

16.  pretiosa    suas    Sc.     pretiosa   furens    Reiske.     pre- 

tiosa  James,     premit,  etc.,  Burmaim. 


250    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

17.   aerata  Brouckhusius.    ferrata  quoted  by  Anton. 

rabidus  spedatur  Cuperus. 
19.   'paritura  Patisson.    facta  proposed  by  Burmann. 

21.  exadaque  0. 

22.  fugere  Leid. 

nobilis  0.  Sambucus.    mobilis  M.  Dr.  Leid.  V2. 

nuhilis  suggested  by  Buecheler. 
aevo  0.    tunc  Venerem  Brassicanus. 

24.  quare  se  natam  non  0. 

25.  factique  Trag.  M.  Mess.  Leid. 

26.  lassi  Trag.     lapsi  VI.  Vat.  pexi  or  flexi  Heinsius. 

fluxi  or  lixi  Dousa. 

27.  iure  quaerit  Trag.     quo  iure  haec  quaerit  Brassi- 

canus.    viri  quaerunt  Auratus.     virque  or  quis- 
que  virum  quaerit  Heinsius. 
eruta  tescis  or  tesquis  Heinsius. 

29.  mutatur  Trag.  Vb.  VI.  Vat.  Mess.     The  rest  imi- 

tatur.     heu !    maculis   mutatur   vilihus   Bouhier. 

28.  cilrea  Leid.  VI.  Dr.  M.     antea  Trag.  Vb.  V2  (in 

the  margin  citrea).     Fl.  F2.  Vat.  Mess,  (in  the 
margin  aurea).    a.  b.  Sc.  (in  the  margin  citrea). 

30.  sensum   turbant   hostiale   0.     trahant  hosterile   Br. 

turbant  sensum  hostile  M.  Dr.  Leid.  (sensum 
turbant).  sensum  trahat  hoc  sterile  Sc.  cen- 
sum  turbant  Heinsius.  et  sensum  turbat  tandem 
proposed  by  Brassicanus.  o  sterile  Orelli.  b. 
omits  turbant  .  .  .  lignum. 
32.  correptis.  conceptis  Heinsius.  corruptis  Buecheler. 
extruit  0.  esurit  Sc.  Br.  b.  adserit  or  adstruit 
Heinsius. 


Critical  Notes  251 

33.  versus  Erhard. 

34.  nimis  a.    unius  Mess. 

deducitur  ac  inde  Sc.  in  the  margin,     ad  mensam 
hinc  virus  deducitur  Heinsius. 

35.  obruta  Moessler. 

condunt  Heinsius.     tendunt  preferred  by  Cuperus. 
reddunt  conchylia  coeno  Crusius(see  36). 

36.  removent  0.     per  stagna  salein  Crusius  (see  35). 

37.  cantwn  Palmer. 

39.  emtusque  Daniel. 

40.  sonitum.  crepitum  quoted  by  Anton. 
Vincent,  vendunt,  verrunt  quoted  by  Anton. 

44.  iacet    nunc    M.    Dr.     iacebit    ND.     iam    quoque 

maiestas  .  .  .  latebit  quoted  by  Anton. 

45.  vinclus  a.  b. 

46.  quos  conjectured  by  Barth. 

47.  dedecori   Sc.     dedecus   est   popxdo   Auratus.     dede- 

cus  est  populi  Stephanus.     dedecori  est  populo 
Anton. 

48.  invicta  de  Salas. 

49.  Heinsius  conjectures  a  se  prodita. 

51.  praedam.     praeda    Colbertinus.     plebem    Crusius. 

foeda  Cuperus.    Romam  Moessler.    Vb.   omits 
the  line. 

52.  ingluvies  Sc. 

exciderat  Trag.  Leid.  Vb.  M.  VI.  Dr.  Mess. 
55.   infra  .  .  .  errant  O. 
hiris  de  Tournes. 

lacerantibus  Sc.  in  the  margin,     latitantibus  Col- 
ladonius. 


252     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

57.   tvxi  Br. 

60.  excisa  all  but  Mess,  (excitaf). 

Ch.  120. 

61.  dederat  ND. 

62.  Enyo   Sc.   b.    Br.     emo   a.    eruo  ND.     The   rest 

Erinnys. 

64.  Tertius  Leid.  M.  Dr.     Tullius  (corrected  to  lulius) 

Fl.  F2. 

65.  tellus  tot  Br.  b.   ND. 

69.  Cocytia  0.     Cocyta  Leid.     Cocyti  Sc. 

70.  twri7  Br. 

71.  iwra^  a. 

72.  aer  Br. 

si  verno  a. 

73.  locantur. 

75.  circumciunidata  conjectured  by  CoUadonius. 

76.  Sc.  in  the  margin:   "v.  c.  sepades  f.  saepes." 

77.  cava  Ed.  Princeps. 

78.  Cuperus  proposed  facessit. 

79.  rea:  Trag. 

80.  Line  omitted  by  all  but  Br.  Sc.  a.  b.  ND.  {tibi  mdla). 

81.  tu  nova  ND. 

Barth  conjectures  vix  possessa. 

82.  ecquid   Leid.    Sc.     ecquod  Br.     The   rest   et   quod 

or  quid,    fictam  Dr. 

83.  permiram  a.     ruituram  conjectured  by  CoUadonius. 
89.   rebellat  Dr. 

91.   haustis  Sc.  a.  b.  ND.  Leid.  M.  Dr.  Br.     The  rest 
austris  (or  haustris). 


Critical  Notes  253 

92.  astra  premunt  Heinsius.     astra  tremunt  also  pro- 

posed by  Heinsius.     claustra  gemunt  Moessler. 
vanius  a.  Mess,    vanos  ND.    varios  Sc.     varius  M. 

The  rest  vanus. 
itsits  ND.  Vb.    The  rest  usum. 
varios  .  .  .  usus    de    Tournes.      vanos  .  .  .  usus 

Delbenius.     Parius  .  .  .  usus  .Pahner. 

93.  iubentur  Sc.  in  the  margin.     Mess.  (?) 
97    artes  Dr. 

98.   sordida  proposed  by  Burmann.    arida  proposed  by 
CoUadonius. 

Ch.  121. 

102.  twn  Le  d.  Sc.  V2. 

Judit  de  -pectore  proposed  by  Wernsdorff. 

103.  Cocyti  cui  Br.  b. 

104.  SI  modo  vera  mihi  fas  est  impune  profari  a.  b. 

Leid.  Sc.  Br.  The  rest  si  modo  fas  est  mihi  vera 
impune  probari  (Dr.  sique).  Brassicanus  pre- 
fers haec  modo  fas  impune  mihi  est,  si  vera  pro- 
fari. 

105.  tihi  a.  b.  Sc.  Br.     The  rest  mihi. 
credent  Trag. 

rebullit  proposed  by  Erhard. 

106.  leviorque.     leviorve  CoUadonius. 

107.  omniaque  a.  Leid.  Dr. 

artihus  Trag.    Vb.     VI.    V2.  Fl.  F2.  Vat.  Sc. 
(in  the  margin). 

108.  deslruat  Leid. 

109.  est  a.  Sambucus. 


254    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

110.  armare  M.  Dr.  Gronovius.     caede  creare  Reiske. 

ciere  or  gregare  proposed  by  Moessler. 

111.  Sc.  gemino  (in  the  margin)  .  .  .  Marte. 

stratos  a.  b.  Br.    The  rest  stridos.    strudos  Pabner 

113.  auras  M.  Dr. 

114.  ettua  Mess.  (?)    Hadrianides. 

in  Libya  Cuperus.  et  Libyas  Reiske.  et  Libyam 
cerno  et  te  de  Guerle.     cu7n  Libye  Moessler. 

daustra  a.  b.  Br.  Sc.  (in  the  margin  castra).  The 
rest  castra. 

115.  trementis   Ed.   Lugdunensis.    frementis  proposed 

by  Reichardt. 

116.  dirarum   suggested    by   Wernsdorff.     scientia   a. 

regna  cruorem  Crusius. 

117.  Porthmeus    b.    Br.    The    rest    Proteus,    proreus 

conjectured  by  Scaliger.    parva,  pida,  putri  sug- 
gested by  CoUadonius. 

nauta  a. 

arcesse  Sc.  Mess.    The  rest  accerse. 

118.  sufficit    ad    Trag.    sufficit    hac    conjectured    by 

Heinsius. 
tuba  a. 

119.  inque  M.  Dr.     tumque  Hadrianides. 

120.  funera  or  viscera  proposed  by  CoUadonius. 

Ch.  122. 

122.  sulfure  Colbertinus. 

123.  infremuit  conjectured  by  CoUadonius. 
abdidit  Reiske. 

124.  reductus    Leid.     M.    Dr.    de    Tournes.     reductae 

Heinsius. 


Critical  Notes  255 

125.   palluit  Leid.     M.  F2.  b.     The  rest  polluit. 

127.  ora  cruentus  conjectured  by  Colladonius. 

128.  titubans.     Titan  Delbenius.  Passerat. 

vultum  a.  b.  V2.  Br.  Fl.  F2.  Vat.    The  rest  vultus. 

129.  sperare  Dr.     The  rest  spirare   (spitare  Br.   first 

hand),     veritum  spedare  proposed  by  Crusius. 
iam  conflictare  Moessler. 

131.  sceleri  b.  Leid.  Sc.  M.  Dr.  Br.     The  rest  celeri. 
tenebant  Delbenius.    trahebant .  .  .  monies  Moessler. 

132.  ZopsisVl.V2.F2.  Vat.  Mess.     lapsiYh.    The  rest 

lassis.     laceris  or  laxis  Heinsius. 

133.  torrentia  Reichardt. 

134.  crepitu  Brouckhusius.    mortem  Burmann. 
134r-135.   et    tuba    trinis  |  sideribus    mortem    acta    ciet 

Reiske. 

135.  tremefacta  a.  b.  Sc.  Br.    transacta  Mess.  ( ?)    trinis 

acta  Trag.  armis  acta  Leid.  sic  acta  M.  Dr. 
sider'  us  armis  ciet  Ed.  Princeps.  tumefacta  Col- 
bertinus.  tenus  icta  Canter,  ciet  acta  armis 
Brassicanus.  trinis  acta  Burmann.  trans- 
missa  or  tenus  alia  Wernsdorff. 
vocatur  Trag.  Leid.  notatur  VI.  V2.  Fl.  F2. 
micabat  M. 

136.  fiumina  de  Tournes. 

137.  cumulos  Pithoeus. 

carentia  b.   Br.     The    rest  arentia.     Gronovius 
prefers  calentia. 

138.  minatur. 

139.  telis  M.  Dr.     crinita  proposed  by  Delbenius. 

140.  rubens    Mess.    (?)   Cuperus.     The    rest    recens. 


256    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

repens  Ed.   Princeps.     mens  Colladonius.  fre- 
quens    Moessler.   imbre    a.    b.    Mess.   Sc.    Br. 
Mess,  de  Tournes.     The  rest  igne. 
144.   nomine,     numine  Reiske. 

pulso  Trag.  Leid.  M.  VI.  Dr.  Sambucus.  Other 
Mss.  pulsae.  vulsae  Ed.  Sec.  celsae  or  pronae 
proposed  by  Barth. 

148.  illic  Trag.  Dr.     The  rest  illinc.     illuc  Moessler. 

illic  sedisse  Gronovius. 
adulti  Mess.  (?)  Pithoeus.     The  rest  adusti. 

149.  mansuescit  a.  b.  M.  V2.  Dr.  Br.     The  rest  mansu- 

escunt.     radii  Leid. 

150.  riget  h.  Br.     algens  Mess.  (?)  Colladonius.     The 

rest  rig  ens.  rigent  Lipsius.  glades  concreta 
riget  Wernsdorff.  glacie  crebra  assurgens  hie- 
misque  Moessler. 

151.  totum  terrae  Br. 

nutantibus  Dr.  mutantibus  Ed.  Sec.  irmnanibus 
or  nitentibus  Schrader. 

153.  ornavitque  Sc.    (in  the  margin  optavitque).     The 

rest  oravitque.  intravitque  Sambucus.  lustra- 
vitque  Colladonius.     purgavitque  Moessler. 

154.  latae  Leid. 

155.  intendens  Trag. 

156.  tu  Trag.  Leid.  Sc.  M.  Dr.    Eu  Br.     The  rest  heu. 

te  Buecheler. 

157.  honor ata  Dr. 

158.  acres   Palmer,     accersere  Br.  A.  b.   V2.    (in  the 

margin).     The  rest  arcessere. 

159.  vincere  proposed  by  Crusius. 


Critical  Notes  257 

160.  orbe  Dr.    tingo  b.  M.  V2.  Dr.     The  rest  vinco. 

162.  vinceiido  exerceor  exul  Reiske. 

164.  0  quos  M. 

165.  vident.    iuhent  Mess.   ( ?)  Gulielmus.   vetant  Gro- 

novius.    timent  Delbenius.     CoUadonius.    dent 
Reiske.     volunt  Wernsdorff. 
mercede  redemtae  Heinsius. 

166.  quarum  Trag.  in  the  margin. 

167.  ut.     ac  Colbertinus.     at  Heinsius.     iudice  a. 

168.  furentes    Trag.    Mess.     (?)     The    rest    ferentes. 

frequentes   de   Tournes.     sequentes   or   nocentes 
proposed  by  CoUadonius.    recentes  Moessler. 

169.  discite  Leid.  M.  Dr. 

170.  namque  ununi   crimen   omnes  Trag.  VI.  V2.  Fl. 

F2.  Vat.  Mess.  Vh.     Line  rejected  by  Schrader. 

171.  nobis  Trag.     votis  Palmer. 

172.  solum  Vb. 

173.  eminet  Dr. 

175.  et  omitted  by  Trag.  Vb.  Fl.  F2.  Yat.  Mess,    inten- 

tate  conjectured  by  CoUadonius. 

176.  armatos  M.  Dr.     armatos  or  annatis  nescia  vinci 

Lipsius. 
178.   omnia  Vb.  M.  VI.  V2.  Vat.    mentihus  Vb.  Mess. 
e  mentihus  Trag.  Leid.    e  mentihus  iras  pro- 
posed by  Stephanas. 

180.  insolita  Leid. 

luna  conjectured  by  CoUadonius.  frequenti  M. 
Br.  Sambucus.  insolita  voces  jlaynma  sonuere 
sequentes  suggested  by  Brassicanus. 

181.  laetior  a.  b.  Br. 

s 


258    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petkonius 

Ch.  123. 

184.  insolitos  M.  Dr.    The  rest  insolito.    gressu  a.  b. 

Sc.  Br.  The  rest  gressus.  ausus  Leid.  Sc.  M. 
Dr.  haustus  0.  haustu  Mess,  insolitus  gressus 
.  .  .  ausu  Wernsdorff.  indomito  gressus  .  .  . 
ausu  proposed  by  Burmaim.  insoliti  preferred 
by  Stephanus. 

185.  glacieque  et  proposed  by  Putsch. 
iuncta  Leid.  Vat.  de  Tournes.  Sambucus. 

186.  horrore  a.  b.  Br.  Mess.  ( ?)   Sc.  in  the  margin.   The 

rest  honore.  vitiique  horrore  Colbertinus.  miti- 
que  quievit  honore  Sambucus. 

189.  fulmina  Leid.  b. 
montis  Vat. 
alpis  Dr. 

190.  missa  Leid.  Sc.  Dr.  V2.  in  the  margin.     Sambucus. 

de  Tournes.  The  rest  and  Wouwerius  iussa. 
iusta  quoted  by  Dousa.  scissa  Colbertinus. 
spissa  proposed  by  Auratus.  stare  proposed  by 
Dousa. 

191.  stabant  Sc.  Br.  a.  b.  VI.  V2.    The  rest  stabat 

et  a.  b.  Sc.     Omitted  by  the  rest. 
victa  Leid.  Mess,     vinctaque  mox  stabant,  fluctus 

.  .  .  ruina  Sambucus. 
pruina.     ruina  Reiske. 
194.   pariter  a.  b.  Sc.  Br.    passim  Leid.  M.  Dr.    The 
rest  partem. 

196.  rigor  concusso  Colbertinus.  Sambucus. 

197.  rupto  M.  Dr.  Mess,    rapti  CoUadonius. 

198.  aut  a.  b.  Br.     The  rest  ac. 


Critical  Notes  259 

contractum  Schrader.  confardum  preferred  by 
Palmer,     turbine  Memmius. 

199.  iam  omitted  by  F2.  Vat. 

200.  correpta  Vb. 

unda  h.  Leid.  So.  M.  Dr.    The  rest  umbra, 
lucebat  Vb.     ruebant  Erhard. 

201.  vinda  &c.  conjectured  by  CoUadonius. 

202.  ferentia  M. 

203.  magnum  suggested  by  Palmer. 
nisus  VI.  Vat. 

207.  dimisit  M.  Dr. 

208.  deiecit  Mss.  and   de  Tournes.     Sambucus.     dis- 

iecit  Gulielmus. 
bella  proposed  by  Gronovius. 

209.  timidas  Leid.  Sc.  (first  hand). 

210.  volucrum    (in   the  margin   volucris,   volucer)     Sc. 
pinnis  Br.     The  rest  pennis. 

212.  Roviana  M.  Dr.  Romanos  Bouhier.  "quo  pro- 
bata temptavi:   obvia"  Buecheler. 

omina  Sc.  omina  scaeva  Cuperus.  omnia  magna 
proposed  by  Burmarm. 

ferri  Brassicanus. 

haec  Romano  attonito  fert  conjectured  by  Sam- 
bucus. haec  Romano  attonito  fert  nuncia  pro- 
posed by  Burmann. 

214.  germanas  perfuso  M.  Dr. 

215.  notaque  belli  Palmer. 

217.   per  M.     The  rest  perque.     per  dubias  Sambucus. 
finduntur  b. 
curas  CoUadonius.    Gronovius. 


260    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

219.  -patriae  Leid.  V2.     The  rest  patria. 

etFl.  Omitted  by  Sc.  Br.  The  rest  esi.  etiama. 
et  iam  0. 

timor  O.  et  patria  pontus  iam  tutior.  est  magis 
arma  Sc.  Br.  et  patriae  est  pontus.  sed  iam 
timor  Sambucus.  et  patria  est  timor  ipsa  Aura- 
tus.  et  pontus  patria.  etiam  magis  est  timor 
arma  Reiske.  et  patriae  est  cunctis  etiam  timor 
conjectured  by  Nodot. 

220.  teynptare   b.  Br.     tentare   Sc.     The    rest   tentata. 
uti  a.  b.   Sc.  Br.     acti  Leid.  M.  V2.  Dr.     The 

rest,  Sambucus  idi. 

221.  ipso  Herrmann. 

223.  acta  proposed  by  Erhard.     educitur  preferred  by 

Burmann. 

224.  suadet  Roma  fugam  Suringar. 

226.  pavida  a.  b.   Sc.   Br.   in  the  margin.     The  rest 

trepida. 

227.  reliquit  Trag. 

229.  suntque  Dr. 
lugentia  M.  Dr. 
iungunt  Vb.  Vat.  Mess. 

pignora  Stewech.     brachia  proposed  by  Anton. 

230.  onerisque  Sc.  Br.  a.  b.     The  rest  oneris.     humeris 

Auratus.     umeris  fert  gnava  Junius  and  Vahlen. 
parens  conjectured  by  Buecheler. 
232.   Uc  a.  b.  Sc.  Br.  Mess.  ( ?)     The  rest  hinc. 

234.  magistris  Colladonius. 

235.  sinu  Wernsdorff. 
238.   magno  M. 


Critical  Notes  261 

239.   repertus  Mess.  (?)     saevi  quoque   terror  Scaliger. 

Parthi  conjectured  by  Buecheler. 
241.    171  gurgite  b.  Br. 

244.  tuetur  M.  Dr.    videres  Nodot. 

Ch.  124. 

245.  tergo  Gulielmus. 
lumina  b. 

cernit  M.  Dr.     The  rest  vidit.     vicit  Herrmann. 

fudit  proposed  by  Wernsdorff. 
Divi  Gulielmus. 
terga  dare  ante  alios  divum  quoque    numina  vidit 

Suringar. 

246.  caelo  Reiske. 

247.  terrasque  preferred  by  Colbertinus. 

249.  pullata  de  Guerle. 

250.  absconditque  h.  Leid.  V2.     abscindit  a. 

galea,     palla  Schrader.     absconditque  olea  CoUa- 

donius.     cavea  Reiske. 
vinctum  Colladonius. 
relictum  a.    relicti  b.  Br. 

252.  sit  Br. 

submissa  a.  b.  Br.     sincera  Leid.  Sc.  M.  Dr.  de 

Tourncs.     The  rest  sunima. 
crure  Trag. 

253.  ac  lacera  maerens  de  Tournes. 

254.  ac  Mess. 
rapta.  VI. 

255.  demergit  b. 
cohors  M. 


262    The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

256.  facibus  Trag. 

258.  abrupti  de  Tournes.    arreptis  Sc.  in  the  margin. 

259.  lateque  tulit  Dr. 
2m.velantO. 

263.  terrisque  M.  Dr. 

264.  mutantia  M.     nutancia  Dr.    multata  Reiske. 

mirata    conjectured    by    Colladonius.    nudata 
Hadrianides. 
pontus  Dr.  a.  b.  Vb.  Vat. 

266.  deduda  Trag.  b.  Leid.  Dr.  Mess. 
primamque  Reiske. 

267.  astra  Colladonius.     alma  Reiske.    arma  Passerat. 
Dionen  .  .  .  ducunt  Moessler. 

268.  quotiens  Fl.  F2. 

269.  Magnum  Mess.  (?)  Barth.    The  rest  Magnaque. 
271.   intonuere  Mess,     insonuere  quoted  by  Anton. 

iubae  Pithoeus.     ac  omitted  by  a. 

273.  flumina  a.  b.  Br.  Fl.  F2.  Mess. 

stabant  conjectured  by  Burmann.    fletu  suggested 
by  Buecheler. 

274.  aerati  Sc.    The  rest  irati.    serrati  proposed  by 

Heinsius.  erosi  proposed  by  Crusius.  atrati 
conjectured  by  Burmann. 
276.  intertorto  a.  b.  Sc.  Br.  The  rest  inter  toto.  de 
Tournes.  Sambucus.  lacerato  b.  rupta  ter 
intortam  proposed  by  Barth.  intertorto  lacerans 
Bouhier.  inter  fremitus  Reiske.  atque  ferens 
or  terens  toto  proposed  by  Burmann.  ter  in 
toto  lacerata  pectore  veste  proposed  by  Anton. 
intorto  inter  Moessler. 


Critical  Notes  263 

277.  dextram  Trag.  Yh.  VI.  Fl.  Vat. 
sanguinea  trermilam  Sambucus. 

278.  haec  uhi  preferred  by  Brassicanus. 
281. .  orhe  omitted  by  Dr. 

282.  ejiidit  Trag.    arripuit  Dr.    erumpit  a.  b.  Sc.  Br. 

The  rest  erupit. 
furibiinda  Dr. 

283.  accensi  Dr. 

284.  viiUite  Vb.     emittite  V2. 

lampades  urbem  a.     lampades  urhes  b.  Br.     lam- 
pada  turbas  M.     lampade  turbas  Dr. 

285.  vincitur  Dr. 

cessat  \h.  V2.  Fl.  F2.  Vat. 

286.  pvdor  Mess. 

287.  rebellant'Dr. 

289.   ne  a.  b.  Sc.  Br.    non  Dr.    The  rest  neu. 

matrem  Vat. 
291.   mms  a. 

293.  Romanasque  Trag.  \T3.  VI.  Fl.  Vat. 
arces  Vb.  Mess.     The  rest  acies. 

Epidamni  Br.  Fl.  F2.  Vat.  b.  Pithoeus.     The  rest, 
de  Tournes,  Sambucus  Epidauria,  or  Epidauri. 
nomina  Trag.  a.  b.  \T).  Br.  Fl.  F2.  Vat. 

294.  Thessaliaeque  rogos  Gabbema. 
Romano  CorneUssen. 
pingues  Heinsius. 

295.  lustitia  Vb.  Mess.  Trag.  {Discordia  in  the  margin.) 


264     The  Bellum  Civile  of  Petronius 

Note  on  the  order  of  the  Unes. 

In  a  the  Hnes  are  given  in  great  confusion,  as  follows : 
1-20,  46,  21-26,  53-60,  27-45,  61-85,  47-52,  88-120, 
86-87,  123,  157,  193-194,  121-122,  158-192,  228-229, 
195-227,  263-268,  230-262,  280-285,  269-279,  286-295. 

Some  of  the  other  Mss.  present  minor  variations,  as 
follows :  29.  ponitur  precedes  28  citrea  mensa  in  b.  only. 

ND,  which  contains  only  fragments  of  the  poem, 
gives  them  in  the  following  order  :  33-38,  40-44,  24-26, 
87-89,  56-57,  61-66,  79-81,  91-92  (portions  of  other 
chapters  of  the  book  intervene  here),  93. 

Attempts  have  also  been  made  by  editors  to  rear- 
range the  more  difficult  passages. 

19-31  follow  57  in  de  Tournes. 

113  in  Hadrianides  follows  115.  Anton  would  have 
it  precede  111. 

Moessler,  in  212,  reads:  Romanes  tonitru  ferit: 
omnia  signa.  This  makes  a  line  necessary  before  213, 
and  he  supplies  it  with  : 

onmes  esse  aquilas  collatas  Caesaris  ira 

(Cf.  Lucan,  I,  477.) 

217  n.  (de  Guerle:  217,  224-225,  230-231,  218-223, 
229,  226-228,  233  ..  . 

221  is  put  before  231  by  Vahlen. 

221  ff.  (Buecheler,  Ed.  1862):  221,  231-232,  237, 
226-230,  233-236,  222-225,  238  ..  . 

225  ff.  (Reiske) :  225,  230-232,  226-229,  233  ..  . 

264-270  are  put  after  294  by  Moessler. 

276  is  put  after  277  by  Reiske. 


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